Police are probing Russia link after two Latvian nationals 'broke through perimeter fence' at RAF base used by US military intelligence
Published: | Updated:
Police are investigating whether Russia was behind a break-in at an RAF base used by US military intelligence.
Two Latvian men were arrested for breaching the perimeter fence at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire at 2am.
The security alert, which comes weeks after a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, has raised suspicions that a hostile state may be seeking to exploit security concerns around bases used by the US.
RAF Molesworth is home to American intelligence operations centres for Europe and Africa, as well as being a Nato intelligence hub. The base hosted a Russia conference on Tuesday and Wednesday, a Nato website said.
After the conference, Ministry of Defence security patrols identified an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter of the base at about 10pm on Wednesday. Further searches were carried out on the site and a small hole in the fence was identified.
Police then located two UK-based Latvian men, aged 36 and 32, who were initially held on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage after being found within the grounds.
But they were later arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, namely entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Police were sufficiently concerned to call in specialist explosive ordnance disposal officers to check for any trace of explosives within the abandoned vehicle.
Police are investigating whether Russia was behind a break-in at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire on Wednesday
A police car is seen leaving the site on Thursday evening
A police cordon was stood down after nothing suspicious was found. Officers said the security breach was not being linked to the investigation into RAF Fairford, where last month five men were arrested near the base.
The RAF Molesworth investigation is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing.
The Daily Mail understands that police are investigating whether the men are proxies of a hostile state, but they are also keeping an open mind to other motives.
It comes days after the US withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford after concerns about a possible Iran-led attack.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: '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.
'Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages.
'A big part of this is looking at any potential motivation as to why the men were present at the site, but I must stress we are keeping an open mind at this stage and inquiries are very much ongoing. Searches at two addresses in the Peterborough area are being carried out in connection with the investigation.'
A US European Command spokesman said: 'We will continue to assess the threat environment surrounding our installations and take appropriate actions to protect our people, our platforms and the bases.'
The MoD said: 'We remain highly vigilant to potential threats against defence sites and work closely with police and our allies to keep them secure. The protection of our bases is kept under constant review.'
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.