U.K. police arrest 5 men near air base, suspected of preparing terror act

UK police said Sunday that five men arrested in the middle of the night near an air base used by the United States during its war against Iran are being held on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. London’s Metropolitan Police, which takes the lead on potential terrorism activities, said in a statement that police received a call at 12:45 a.m. related to three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be traveling toward the air base. The base is U.K. owned and U.S. operated under an agreement dating back to the Cold War.The five men were initially arrested in the Whelford area, which backs onto RAF Fairford, the base that hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron.Fairford has been used by American forces 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. Iran has said bombers flying from the base have been used for strikes beyond the original remit. Story continues below advertisement “We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remai...