Explosives alert near an RAF base, 5 arrests. Counterterrorism involved

The investigation into the "serious" incident linked to a suspected explosives threat, which today led police to arrest five people and evacuate some homes in the village of Whelford, in Gloucestershire, England, near an RAF airbase used by the United States, has been handed to British counterterrorism. This is reported by the BBC, which for now rules out the involvement of the intelligence services, however. The people detained overnight are "5 men". This was announced in a briefing by an official of the local British police, confirming that the investigations are now "being conducted in coordination with counterterrorism". The official then asked to avoid "speculation" and reiterated that residents of 85 houses in the area have been evacuated from their homes "as a precaution" while checks continue. Police bomb disposal teams were seen at work as part of the investigation, according to media outlets showing aerial footage taken from helicopters showing a tracked robot vehicle with a mechanical arm inspecting two white vans parked in the area. Asked about the matter in a television interview given in Liverpool, on the opening day of his first Labour conference as leader (set to culminate on Tuesday with his address to delegates), Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed in turn that "several suspects have been detained", but remained tight-lipped about any possible investigative lead. "We are grateful to the emergency services for acting quickly and putting in place measures to protect the safety of the local community", the prime minister merely said, adding that "it would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation is ongoing". The same caution came from Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, who — from his X profile — also praised the promptness of the response to the alert and concluded: "We can be reassured by how the situation is being handled, this is exactly why our emergency services and our Armed Forces are on alert 24 hours a day, 7 days a week". Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA