JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African authorities on Monday raised the combined death toll from two mass shootings over the weekend to 28, after another victim from one of the attacks died in hospital.
South Africa has struggled with violent crime for years, but the shootings on Saturday night have shocked a country used to some of the highest homicide rates in the world.
The victim who died was from the first attack, in the Wedela township near Johannesburg, where 17 people died on Saturday night and several others were wounded, police said. Armed with AK-47 rifles, gunmen stormed a tavern and opened fire first at patrons outside the bar before moving inside and continuing to shoot.
The gunmen searched some of the patrons and took their mobile phones before escaping in two vehicles. Two cars were set on fire outside the bar during the shooting.
“One more victim has died in hospital, bringing the total number of deceased to 18,” the police statement on Monday said.
About four hours later on Saturday night, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded in a shooting at a store linked to what police described as an entertainment venue in Lwandle township, near Cape Town, South Africa’s second biggest city. Police said they were searching for multiple suspects, though they didn’t give an exact number.
Of the dead in Wedela, two were South Africans and two were Lesotho nationals. The four are the only fatalities whose identities have been confirmed so far.
“All the injured victims in hospital have been identified,” the police said, adding that five were “shot in the upper body and are critically wounded, while the others are in a stable condition.”
A team of detectives and members of the South African Defence Force are investigating. No arrests have been made so far.
Forensic officers and the army members are seen at scene of a mass shooting on Saturday night when suspects opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
Community members stand at scene of a mass shooting on Saturday night when suspects opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
LONDON (AP) — British police arrested five men on Sunday on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism and explosives offenses outside RAF Fairford, a military base in western England that’s operated by the U.S. Air Force.
Three suspicious vehicles are being searched, and counterterror officers are leading the investigation.
Here’s what to know about the base.
RAF Fairford, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, is one of several bases in Britain that has been used by the U.S. Air Force under an agreement dating from the 1950s. It is home to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and is a forward operating location for U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.
There are about 11,000 American military personnel stationed at various sites in Britain, according to the House of Commons Library. The number of U.S. personnel at RAF Fairford is not publicly available.
Fairford's long runway makes it suitable for heavy bombers, and it has been used in conflicts including the Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran this year.
Britain did not join the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that began Feb. 28 and initially denied President Donald Trump’s request to use bases in the U.K. to strike Iran. But then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced days later that he had agreed to let the U.S. use bases in Britain for “defensive” operations against Iran’s missiles and their launch sites following Iranian attacks on U.K. interests and Britain’s allies in the Gulf.
American B-1 and B-52 bombers have taken off from Fairford for operations during the Iran conflict.
Anti-war campaigners have protested outside the perimeter fence of the base several times since the start of the Iran war.
It’s unclear whether the arrests are linked to the Iran war. British security officials say proxies linked to Iran are behind a string of arson and sabotage attempts in the U.K. and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community. They have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.
Some local residents said security appeared to have been heightened around RAF Fairford in recent days, with heavy vehicles parked across entrance gates.
Another American base, RAF Lakenheath in eastern England, confirmed that it is on Charlie alert, the second-highest threat level that can be issued by the U.S. Department of Defense. According to U.S. military websites, Force Protection Condition Charlie “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely.”
There was no immediate confirmation of the threat level at RAF Fairford. U.S. European Command said it would not discuss "specific force protection measures."
United States Airforce B1 bombers are seen at RAF Fairford, a US Airbase, after an incident in Fairford, England, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Police guard a road leading to RAF Fairford, a US Airbase, after an incident in Fairford, England , Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Police stand at a road block on the road to RAF Fairford after an incident, in Whelford, England, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026 .(Ben Birchall/PA via AP)
