2 men arrested after breaking into British military base
Two Latvian men were arrested after being found inside a military base in England, according to police. They remain in custody while counterterrorism officers investigate whether they entered the site for a purpose harmful to the United Kingdom.
The incident began at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday, when police patrols discovered an abandoned vehicle near RAF Molesworth, a military base in Cambridgeshire, north of London.
Local police joined searches around the base, and officers discovered a small breach in the perimeter fence. The two men, aged 36 and 32, were found inside the perimeter at around 2 a.m. on Thursday.
Both are Latvian nationals living in the United Kingdom, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.
The men were initially arrested on suspicion of trespassing at a restricted site and criminal damage. They were later arrested under Britain’s National Security Act on suspicion of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the country.
Counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation and searching two properties in the nearby Peterborough area.
Police also recovered the abandoned vehicle and took it to another location for examination. Concerns during the search led to checks by bomb-disposal specialists and precautionary road closures around Glatton, including part of the A1 highway.
Nothing of concern was found, and the road closures have been lifted.
Commander Helen Flanagan, who heads London’s counterterrorism police unit, said investigators were still examining why the men were at the base.
“We’re very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites, but at this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week,” Flanagan said. “Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages.”
Seven men were arrested in a separate investigation near RAF Fairford, another British military base used by U.S. bombers to strike Iran. All seven have been released on bail while that investigation continues.
Residents near Fairford were evacuated on September 27 as armed police and bomb-disposal teams responded. Investigators found gasoline in three vans linked to suspects but no explosives. British authorities have linked that incident to Iran.
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