British police detained suspects near RAF Fairford base, while investigators are checking a possible link to Iran

British police detained several men near the RAF Fairford military air base in western England after three white vans were seen heading toward the airfield. The base was cordoned off, and authorities are checking whether the suspects were preparing an attack or a sabotage operation.

Donald Trump said that the men intended to cause “major damage” and had been on the radar of British and American authorities for some time. A local farmer alerted police after seeing several hooded men with their faces covered fleeing across fields.

Counterterrorism investigators are focusing in particular on a possible Iran-linked motive, but are not ruling out a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot. British Defence Minister Wes Streeting refused to speculate.

Police established a security perimeter within a radius of 400 meters and evacuated residents from 85 homes. A bomb disposal robot was used around the vans, and access routes were blocked. Similar measures were also taken at other US bases in the United Kingdom.

The incident comes after London authorized the use of American bombers from Fairford for strikes against Iranian facilities. Tehran had previously warned that bases used for such attacks could become targets.