Two Latvian men face national security inquiry after RAF Molesworth breach

British counterterrorism police are investigating after two Latvian men were arrested inside RAF Molesworth, a Cambridgeshire base used for US and NATO intelligence operations, following a breach of its perimeter fence.

The men, aged 36 and 32, were arrested inside the base in the early hours of Thursday. Both live in the UK, police said.

A Ministry of Defence Police security patrol raised the alarm after spotting an abandoned vehicle near the base at about 22:00 BST on Wednesday. Officers searching the area found a small breach in the fence and, a few hours later, located the men inside the perimeter.

The pair were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage, after Cambridgeshire Police officers joined the search. They were later arrested on suspicion of an offence under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023: entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Al Jazeera reported that both remained in custody at a police station in Cambridgeshire on Thursday.

Counter Terrorism Policing London is leading the investigation. Its commander, Helen Flanagan, said officers were examining why the men were at the site and searching two addresses in the Peterborough area.

“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,” Flanagan said.

She said officers were not currently linking the breach to an incident at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. “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,” she said. Flanagan stressed that the inquiry was in its “very early stages”.

The BBC reported that RAF Molesworth is home to US intelligence operations centres for Europe and Africa and a NATO intelligence hub. The base, west of Huntingdon near the Northamptonshire border, is not used as a flying station.

Al Jazeera reported that the September 27 incident at RAF Fairford led to the arrest of seven men in their 20s, all of whom were later released on bail. One is a dual UK-Iranian national, the outlet reported.

The abandoned vehicle prompted a cordon while bomb squad officers examined it. The A1M was partially closed at about 13:00 BST, along with several roads around Glatton. The roads reopened shortly afterward after Cambridgeshire Police said “nothing of concern was identified.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the department remained “highly vigilant” about potential threats to defence sites and worked with police and allies to protect them. A spokesperson for US European Command thanked UK agencies for their support and said the command would continue to assess threats around its installations, but would not discuss intelligence matters or specific security measures.