UK counterterror police arrest two Latvian men under National Security Act for RAF base incursion

The men were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage, then re-arrested on suspicion of an offense under the National Security Act 2023.

British counterterrorism police are investigating two Latvian men who were arrested near a Royal Air Force base in Cambridgeshire in the early hours of Thursday, police said in a statement.

The men were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage, then re-arrested on suspicion of an offense under the National Security Act 2023 - namely "entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK".

"We're very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites, but at this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week," Helen Flanagan, Head of counterterrorism Policing London, said in a statement.

She was referring to a separate incident at the Fairford airbase, which had been used by US bombers to strike Iran, in which several men were arrested over a suspected plot which the government has linked to Iran.

Abandoned vehicle checked by bomb disposal unit

In relation to Thursday's arrests, police said they were also carrying out two searches at addresses in the Peterborough area in connection with the investigation.

An abandoned vehicle was recovered by police and later checked by bomb disposal officers; however, nothing of concern was found.