British police arrest two Latvian nationals at RAF Molesworth, a military base housing U.S. and NATO intelligence operations
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of trespassing at a Royal Air Force base in Cambridgeshire, north of London, Sky News reported, citing police.
The men, aged 32 and 36, are Latvian nationals who live in the UK.
At about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, local police found an abandoned vehicle and, shortly afterward, a small hole in the base’s perimeter fence. Police found and arrested the suspects overnight on October 8. The men were charged with entering a prohibited site for a purpose prejudicial to the UK’s interests.
London’s counterterrorism police unit is leading the investigation. “[A]t this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week,” a police spokesperson said.
On September 27, British authorities said they had arrested five people near RAF Fairford who had arrived in three white vans. All five are suspected of preparing a terrorist attack and were released on bail. Authorities did not specify what was found in the vans. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said investigators had reason to believe Iran was involved in the incident near the base. Shortly afterward, the U.S. withdrew all B-1 bombers intended for strikes on Iran from the base. According to The New York Times, Washington had received information about a possible Iranian drone attack.
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