- Five men arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near RAF Fairford.
- 85 households evacuated from Whelford, about a mile from the base.
- Police have not confirmed the nature or source of the threat.
- The US has used Fairford for operations against Iran since March.
RESIDENTS living near RAF Fairford have spoken of their fears about the air base's role in US military operations against Iran, after 85 households were evacuated in the early hours of Sunday and five men were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act.
Families from Whelford, about a mile from the base, spent the night in a leisure centre in Cirencester while bomb disposal experts examined vans near the village. Police have not confirmed the nature or source of the threat.
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Britain gave the US permission in March to use Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran". US bombers have since been seen taking off and landing there. Local councillor Tristan Wilkinson said the normally quiet base had changed "at the moment, with Epic Fury", the US codename for its attacks on Iran.
A dog walker in Cirencester said his wife had long been "worried about threats to Fairford", and Sunday's news "was like her nightmares have come true".
"It's no trouble at all," he said of the base. "But actually using it as a bomber base is a bit worrying."
Victor Compton, 21, also a student, called it "a bit of a reality check". "The effects of war reach into the safest parts of the world," he said.
In March, Britain gave the US permission to use Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran" to destroy Iranian missiles. US bombers and other aircraft have since been seen taking off and landing there.
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The base was also used by the US military during the Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War.
"Normally, RAF Fairford is very quiet but at the moment, with Epic Fury, that's changed," local councillor Tristan Wilkinson told AFP, referring to the US military codename for its attacks on Iran.
He said the community and the authorities had shown "greater vigilance around the base" in recent months.
(With inputs from agencies)
