Two Latvian residents detained for alleged trespass at US-run RAF Molesworth
Police arrested two Latvian men inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire on suspicion of entering a prohibited site for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
In the early hours of Thursday, security teams at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire discovered an abandoned vehicle and soon located two Latvian men, aged 36 and 32, inside the base's perimeter. The men, who reside in the United Kingdom, were first detained on suspicion of trespassing a prohibited site and causing criminal damage. Authorities then applied Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, alleging they entered the site for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom.
Both individuals are being held by police. RAF Molesworth is heavily utilized by the United States, housing the Joint Intelligence Operations Centre Europe Analytic Centre and units of the US Air Force’s 423rd Air Base Group.
How this was covered
- Coverage peaked at 8 outlets in a single hour
Why it matters
The arrests highlight security concerns at a key US-operated military installation on UK soil.
How this story developed
- Sep 30 UK Prime Minister cites strong signs of Iranian involvement in RAF Fairford probe
- Oct 1 Police detained another suspect in Westminster.
- Oct 3 A sixth suspect linked to the RAF Fairford plot was released on bail.
- Oct 4 The United States withdrew its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford following a thwarted terror scheme that led to the arrest of five British men.
- Oct 5 The withdrawal also includes B‑2 and B‑52 aircraft, not just B‑1 bombers.
- Oct 5 Five men arrested by British police over the incident have been released on bail, and a sixth man, a dual UK‑Iranian national, has also been released on bail.
- Oct 6 Investigators recovered only petrol and found no explosives at the scene.
- Oct 6 A seventh suspect was arrested.
- Oct 6 British officials affirmed that RAF Fairford remains secure after the bomber withdrawal.
- Oct 7 Police searched a Westminster property linked to the latest suspect.
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