Two arrested inside US airbase in UK as counter-terror police investigate

Two Latvian men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside RAF Molesworth, a US military base in Cambridgeshire, UK, on suspicion of trespassing and criminal damage. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, according to the Metropolitan Police. The men were initially detained on suspicion of trespassing on a prohibited site and were later charged with entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK under the National Security Act 2023.

RAF Molesworth is a key US intelligence hub for Europe and Africa, and is currently under investigation by counter-terrorism police. The men were discovered after an MDP patrol spotted an abandoned vehicle near the base's perimeter, which prompted a search and led to their arrest. Both individuals are currently in police custody.

Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation, but at this stage, the incident is not being linked to the arrests made at RAF Fairford, another US airbase in the UK, which occurred over the past two weeks. Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, stated that there is no evidence connecting the two incidents. The investigation is ongoing, and officers are searching addresses in the Peterborough area approximately 30km from the RAF base.