Lyneham air base in England given all clear after bomb scare

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Map highlighting location of Wiltshire.
Image: Airunp.

The British Royal Air Force gave the all clear at the Lyneham air base in Wiltshire, England after an earlier bomb scare.

It had earlier been reported that an improvised explosive device (IED) was found inside a vehicle by a bomb sniffing dog. According to BBC News, the vehicle was parked outside the air base's fence. Officials would not elaborate on what was inside the vehicle, but BBC reports that the vehicle was possibly military and that bomb residue was found on the vehicle.

A Royal Air Force spokesman said a bomb squad was called to the location to investigate the find. "An EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] team are on site and currently working to make the area safe. It is too early to speculate at this stage." Officials say the reaction was routine and situations like this are treated as if a device had been found. Anytime a dog is alerted to possible explosives, the proper teams are called in to investigate.

RAF Lyneham is one of the UK's largest air bases, and is home to the RAF's fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft. Many bodies of the soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan are brought to the base from the country.

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Sources

"Airbase bomb scare is false alarm" — BBC News online, September 8, 2009
Associated Press. "Report: Object found at UK air base not suspicious" — Rocky Mountain Telegram, September 8, 2009
"Bomb squad probe suspect vehicle at UK base" — Reuters, September 8, 2009
"Explosive device found at airbase" — BBC News online, September 8, 2009
"BREAKING NEWS: Suspected bomb found at RAF Lyneham" — Daily Mail, September 8, 2009
Associated Press. "British military says it is investigating suspected explosive device found at UK airbase" — Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2009
"Suspected bomb found at British Air Force base" — Reuters, September 8, 2009

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