Two Latvian men arrested at UK base housing US and NATO intelligence hubs

UK police said Thursday they had arrested two Latvians inside a military base in southeast England housing US and NATO intelligence hubs after the perimeter fence was breached.

The incident comes days after an incident near another military base in southwest England.

Counter-terrorism police said the two men, age 36 and 32, were arrested at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Molesworth base in Cambridgeshire, southeast England.

They are being held on suspicion of trespass and suspicion of entering a prohibited place "for a purpose prejudicial to the UK", said police.

Both are Latvian nationals residing in the UK.

The arrests come after a major incident at RAF Fairford on September 27 that led to the arrest of seven men, all in their 20s, who have since been released on bail. One is a dual UK-Iranian national.

Following that incident, the United States withdrew its B-1 bombers stationed at the Fairford base.

Read moreUS withdraws B-1 bombers from British military base RAF Fairford amid security concerns

"At this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week," said counter-terrorism policing head Helen Flanagan

But the authorities were "keeping an open mind", she added in a statement.

RAF Molesworth, formerly a World War II airbase, is now a non-flying facility managed by the US Air Force.

It also hosts the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, whose website says it has a workforce of more than 200; and Washington's intelligence operations in Europe and Africa, according to the CIA website.

Police said a security patrol had spotted an abandoned vehicle near the base and police found a "small breach" before arresting the men in the early hours of Thursday.

The nature of the threat at RAF Fairford is still not clear but police were called to the site after three white vans were spotted acting "suspiciously" in its vicinity.

Last June, pro-Palestinian activists broke into another airbase, RAF Brize Norton in southern England, posting video showing them spraying a plane with red paint.