UK police have arrested two Latvian men on suspicion of National Security Act offences after they allegedly trespassed at a military base in Cambridgeshire, in the second security incident in two weeks at a Royal Air Force facility with US Air Force links.
The incident took place at RAF Molesworth, near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The base hosts both an intelligence fusion centre for the Nato alliance and a centre used by the US military’s European Command (Eucom).
The US military also operates at RAF Fairford, where a group of men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences in the early hours of September 27.
Counter Terrorism Policing London (CTPL), part of London’s Metropolitan Police, said on Thursday that security patrols at Molesworth identified an abandoned vehicle at around 10pm on Wednesday.
“A small breach of the perimeter fence was subsequently identified and at approximately 02:00 hrs on 8 October, two men were located and arrested,” CTPL said in a statement.
Two men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside the base perimeter, police added.
“Both men are Latvian nationals, currently resident in the UK,” the statement said.
The two were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage and taken to a Cambridgeshire police station, CTPL said.
The unit added: “The pair have since been further arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 — namely entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Both men currently remain in police custody at this time.”
CTPL added that it was leading the investigation because of the nature of the incident and that searches were being carried out at two addresses in the Peterborough area in connection with the investigation.
The arrests come less than two weeks after the incident at RAF Fairford, in which five British men were arrested in the vicinity of the base in three vans with what police have described as “a quantity of petrol”.
CTPL has subsequently arrested two other men — including a joint British-Iranian national — in London in connection with the Fairford incident, also on suspicion of terrorism offences.
All seven men have been released on bail.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTPL, acknowledged the concern following the RAF Fairford incident and said the unit was “very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites”.
But she said that at this stage there was nothing to suggest the incident was connected to the events at RAF Fairford.
She said: “Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages. A big part of this is looking at any potential motivation as to why the men were present at the site, but I must stress we are keeping an open mind at this stage and enquiries are very much ongoing.”
The US Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing, which manages the US Air Force’s activities at both Fairford and Molesworth, said it appreciates the “swift response and continued support” of its local law enforcement partners.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence said it remained “highly vigilant to potential threats against defence sites” and worked closely with the police and UK allies to keep them secure.
Additional reporting by Charles Clover in London