LONDON: Five men were arrested by police early Sunday morning in a tiny village in UK’s Gloucestershire on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks at a military base used by the US Air Force.At 12.45am local time, Gloucestershire police received a call from a resident of Whelford, relating to three suspicious white vans travelling towards RAF Fairford.Whelford is a one-minute car drive from the military base which is heavily populated by the US Air Force and has been used by the US to launch its bombers against Iran since March.Armed officers responded and arrested five men on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.

They were then further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act.On Sunday night, they remained in custody and counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation.Photos showed the suspects lying in the road shirtless and handcuffed surrounded by armed officers. Their nationalities are not yet known.Footage showed army bomb disposal robots examining the three white vans on Sunday afternoon.

About 85 households in Whelford were woken up by police early Sunday and forced to evacuate their homes owing to fears the vans contained explosive materials. Many are now staying in a local leisure centre with their pets.Locals said tractors, JCBs and concrete walls had been put in front of the military base gates.A spokesperson for the US Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford “remain vigilant”. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”US president Donald Trump described the arrests as “fantastic”. “They were looking to do big damage. We had them under review for a long time and we got them,” he told reporters in Illinois.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had warned in July that any UK base used in strikes against Iran would be a legitimate target.Authorities have not ruled out an Islamist plot or Russian involvement.