UK police evacuate homes near US air base in England after arrests

London: Police evacuated homes Sunday near an air base in England used by the U.S. and arrested several men over suspected explosives offenses.

Gloucestershire police said Sunday that residents of "a number of properties" in Whelford, western England, were taken to a nearby leisure center and that the situation has been "contained."

Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation as is normal in similar situations.

Whelford is near RAF Fairford, a base that American forces have used for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the U.K. government allowed the American military to use the Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites.

Gloucestershire police said several men have been detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, and army bomb-disposal experts are examining several vehicles. Police did not confirm the arrests were linked to the base.

"A cordon is currently in place, but we'd like to reassure people that we believe this incident is contained," the force said.

Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident.

"We can be reassured that this is being dealt with," he said.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation, his office said.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said its personnel based at RAF Fairford "remain vigilant" but would not discuss specific force protection measures for security reasons.

"We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families," the spokesperson said.