Key facts
- Two Latvian men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside RAF Molesworth.
- The arrests were made under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023.
- Police are investigating the men's potential motivation for being at the site.
- An abandoned vehicle near the base was examined by bomb disposal officers.
- Searches are underway at two addresses in the Peterborough area.
- Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation.
British counter-terrorism police are investigating after two Latvian men were arrested inside RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire. The alert was raised when a Ministry of Defence Police security patrol discovered an abandoned vehicle at approximately 10 p.m. BST on Wednesday. A few hours later, a small breach in the perimeter fence was identified.
The two men, who are reported to live in the UK and are aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside the base perimeter. They were initially detained on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage before being further arrested under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, which pertains to entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, stated that while police are aware of heightened concern around military sites, there is currently nothing to suggest this incident is connected to a separate, high-profile incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. However, she added that investigators are keeping an open mind regarding the motivation behind the men's presence at the site.
Searches are being conducted at two addresses in the Peterborough area in connection with the investigation, which is in its early stages. The abandoned vehicle found near the base was examined by bomb disposal officers, and roads in the vicinity were temporarily closed but have since reopened.