DOMINANT ANGLE
Oslo is gauging the extent of the antiterrorist alert triggered around the RAF Fairford base, used by the United States against Iran, and is taking note of the caution exercised by British intelligence regarding the identity of a potential sponsor.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Five men were arrested at around 0:45 after a call reported three suspicious vans heading towards RAF Fairford, according to Dagbladet citing Sky News.
- 02
85 homes in the Whelford hamlet were evacuated within a 400-meter security perimeter while the army's bomb disposal team examined the vehicles.
- 03
Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the suspects wanted to "cause major damage" and had been under surveillance "for a long time".
ANALYSIS
Oslo, September 28, 2026. The Norwegian press accurately reports the details of the anti-terrorist operation carried out on Sunday, September 27, around the British RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, used by the US Air Force. According to Dagbladet, citing Commissioner Richard Ocone via Sky News, the police received a call around 0:45 a.m. reporting "three suspicious vehicles heading towards RAF Fairford." Armed police officers arrested five men, initially suspected of violating explosives laws, before the anti-terrorism unit took over the investigation. A 400-meter security perimeter was established while the army's bomb disposal team examined the vehicles; 85 homes in the nearby hamlet of Whelford were evacuated.
Aftenposten emphasizes that RAF Fairford, approximately 150 kilometers west of London, between Bristol and Oxford, houses American B-52 bombers and has served as a base for US air operations in the context of the war against Iran. Vice Inspector Vicki Evans, anti-terrorism coordinator, stated during a press conference on Sunday: "We are at the early stage of the investigation," with the five suspects remaining in custody.
Dagbladet highlights the account of a local farmer, the source of the alert according to the Telegraph: returning from a party, she saw three white vans blocking a road and masked men running towards the base. "I just wondered what they were doing," she recounts, adding: "We knew there was already a real terrorist threat against the base." Twenty-five minutes later, the five men were arrested approximately 350 meters from the site, according to geographic data verified by the BBC.
US President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that the suspects "wanted to cause major damage" and that they had been under surveillance "for a long time." The British police have not identified any sponsor; The Guardian, cited by Dagbladet, recalls that the base has been the subject of protests for several months against the government's decision to make it available for US strikes against Iran. No Norwegian article mentions at this stage any claim of responsibility from Iran, Russia, or Islamist groups.
