British police on Sunday arrested five men on suspicion of terror and explosives offenses close to an airbase in England that is used by US long-range bombers in the war against Iran US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been looking to do "big damage" and had been under investigation by British and US authorities .
Army bomb disposal units are at the scene while dozens of houses nearby have been evacuated as a precaution with the investigation ongoing. CNN reported.
The arrests were made after information was received from residents in the area soon after midnight, according to Richard Ocone, a senior detective in the county of Gloucestershire. The men have not been identified and no clue has been given about a possible motive.
A senior officer in Counter Terrorism Policing, Vicki Evans, confirmed: “We are in the early stages of an investigation, and five men remain in custody. As you would expect we are working closely with our partners to understand the circumstances of the incident.”
On top of the suspected explosives offenses, the men were “further arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act,” according to counter-terrorism police. Counter-terrorism laws allow UK police to hold suspects for up to 14 days before they are charged.
