Air base at the center of a UK terror probe has been used by the US Air Force during the Iran war

British police have arrested five men on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offenses outside RAF Fairford, a base in western England operated by the U.S. Air ForceLONDON -- British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offenses outside RAF Fairford, a military base in western England that’s operated by the U.S. Air Force. Three suspicious vehicles are being searched, and counterterror officers are leading the investigation.Here’s what to know about the base.RAF Fairford, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, is one of several bases in Britain that has been used by the U.S. Air Force under an agreement dating from the 1950s. It is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating location for U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.Fairford's long runway makes it suitable for heavy bombers, and it has been used in conflicts including the Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran this year.Britain did not join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that began Feb. 28 and initially denied President Donald Trump’s request to use bases in ...