UK Ministry of Defence patrols arrest 2 Latvians near RAF base

British counterterrorism authorities apprehended two Latvian men near a Royal Air Force base in Cambridgeshire early Thursday morning, according to a statement released by the police. Initially taken into custody on suspicion of trespassing on a restricted site and causing criminal damage, the men were subsequently re-arrested on charges under the National Security Act 2023, specifically for entering a prohibited location with intentions detrimental to the United Kingdom.

A spokesperson for Helen Flanagan, Head of counterterrorism Policing London, clarified that the incident was not connected to the recent events at RAF Fairford, where several individuals were arrested over a suspected plot linked to Iran. As part of their ongoing investigation, police are conducting searches at addresses in the Peterborough area and have recovered an abandoned vehicle, which was later inspected by bomb disposal experts, though no threatening materials were discovered.