UK police evacuate homes near air base used by US and detain men on suspected explosives offensives

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LONDON (AP) — Police evacuated homes Sunday near an air base in England used by the U.S. and arrested several men over suspected explosives offenses.

The Gloucestershire Police force said Sunday that residents of “a number of properties” in Whelford, western England, have been taken to a nearby leisure center and that the situation is “contained.”

That is close to RAF Fairford, a base that American forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the U.K. government allowed the American military to use the Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites.

Police said several men have been detained on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act, and army bomb-disposal experts are examining several vehicles.

Police did not confirm the arrests were linked to the base.

“A cordon is currently in place but we’d like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained,” the force said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant” but would not discuss specific force protection measures for security reasons.

“We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families," the spokesperson said.