Five UK men arrested over suspected plot to attack airbase, tell me about this news in (https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/australia-news-live-updates-five-uk-men-arrested-over-suspected-plot-to-attack-airbase-20260929-p61181)

British police arrested five men in their 20s, who are British nationals from London, on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offenses near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, southern England. The military base is owned by the UK and used by the United States Air Force.

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The arrests occurred after local residents alerted emergency services to three suspicious white vans driving toward the base carrying a group of men wearing hoods and balaclavas. Armed police intercepted and detained the suspects, and counter-terrorism officers launched an investigation. Army bomb disposal experts and a disposal robot were deployed to examine the vehicles, prompting a 400-metre security cordon and the temporary evacuation of around 85 households in the nearby village of Whelford.

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Security officials are exploring multiple lines of inquiry, including potential state-backed involvement or links to groups like Iran or Russia, though authorities have noted it is premature to confirm specific motives.

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