British police were holding five men on Monday and examining suspected explosives found near a US-operated air force base in England, as counterterror detectives investigated whether the arrests foiled an attempted attack linked to Iran.
The men were detained early on Sunday after three vans were spotted near RAF Fairford, a UK-owned base that has been used by American bombers during decades of conflict in the Middle East.
The men are UK nationals in their mid-20s based in London, police said on Monday.
The five – a 25-year-old, three men aged 24 and a 23-year-old – were detained on suspicion of offences including “preparation of a terrorist act” under UK anti-terrorism laws, according to police.