Two Latvian men bailed after arrest over suspected trespassing at UK air base
Two Latvian men have been released on bail after being arrested at a British military base in England that hosts NATO and U.S. intelligence facilities, according to British police.
The men, aged 32 and 36, were arrested at Royal Air Force (RAF) Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, England, in the early hours of Thursday, Oct. 8. Both are Latvian nationals who live in the United Kingdom and remain under investigation.
The incident began late Wednesday, when Ministry of Defence Police officers conducting security patrols near the base discovered an abandoned vehicle around 10 p.m. Officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary also responded and found a small breach in the base’s perimeter fence.
The men were initially arrested for trespassing and criminal damage before facing an additional charge under the UK’s National Security Act for allegedly entering a prohibited site for a purpose prejudicial to the country.
Police searched two addresses in the nearby Peterborough area and recovered the abandoned vehicle. Specialist explosive ordnance disposal officers were also deployed to conduct additional checks, according to Sky News.
Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the investigation alongside the Ministry of Defence Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
The head of Counter Terrorism Policing London said investigators had found no evidence so far linking the arrests to a separate incident at RAF Fairford the previous week. Investigators are still working to establish why the men were at Molesworth and whether their presence was connected to any criminal activity.
A separate investigation at RAF Fairford began Sept. 27 after police stopped three vans near the base and arrested five men. Two more were later arrested, including a British-Iranian national. All seven have been released on bail.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there was a “strong indication” Iran was involved, but no connection to the Molesworth arrests has been established.
RAF Molesworth hosts a NATO intelligence facility and U.S. intelligence operations centers supporting activities in Europe and Africa.
Police have not publicly identified the two men or disclosed a confirmed motive for their presence at the base. The investigation remains ongoing.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
