Fairford Arrests

British police arrested five men Sunday near RAF Fairford on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offenses. The base has been used by the U.S. Air Force to strike Iran.

Officers evacuated 85 homes and threw up a roughly 440-yard cordon after three vans were spotted heading toward the base near the village of Whelford, in Gloucestershire, around 1 a.m., NBC News reported. All five men are British nationals in their 20s from London. Three are 24, one is 25, one is 23. Police secured a custody extension to hold them until later Monday, The Guardian reported.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned in July that any base used against Iran was a legitimate target, NPR reported. Counterterrorism police are now investigating whether Iran has a link to the plot, CNBC reported. Officers have not confirmed one and say they are examining several lines of inquiry. The Iranian Embassy in London said Monday it "categorically" rejects and "strongly condemns" any suggestion of Iranian involvement, calling the claims "fabricated speculations" meant to "fuel Iranophobia," according to CNBC and The Guardian.

RAF Fairford has drawn protesters opposed to the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran. Polling shows most Britons oppose the conflict, in part over higher gas prices, NPR reported. Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi had earlier called the U.S. use of Fairford an "important matter for our self-defense," CNBC reported.

An Army bomb disposal team examined the vans through Monday. Police said they would review the cordon later that day, The Guardian reported.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing called the response "a hugely complex and large-scale operation," involving local and national police, the Ministry of Defence and local agencies, The Guardian reported. Trump, asked about the arrests after leaving Air Force One, told reporters it was an "amazing job," adding the suspects "were looking to do big damage to our fort," NBC News reported. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the incident would be "deeply concerning for local residents" and that his government would "always take every step necessary" to protect communities, according to NBC News.

"The investigation remains ongoing, and I would urge people not to speculate while the authorities establish the full facts," Burnham said.