UK arrest 2 Latvians inside perimeter of RAF base housing U.S., NATO intelligence operations

LONDON (AP) — U.K. authorities arrested two Latvian men after they were discovered early Thursday inside the perimeter of an RAF base that houses U.S. and NATO intelligence operations, counterterrorism police said.

The base, RAF Molesworth, which is 70 miles (112 kilometers) north of London, is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is home to the NATO Intelligence Fusion Center, which provides information to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, as well as intelligence personnel from the U.S. Africa Command.

Officers from the Ministry of Defense Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary began investigating the incident at about 10 p.m. Wednesday after an abandoned vehicle was found near the edge of the base, Counter Terrorism Policing London said in a statement. Police later found a small hole in the perimeter fence, and the suspects, both U.K. residents, were arrested at about 2 a.m. Thursday.

The men, ages 32 and 36, were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage. They were later arrested on charges of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the U.K.

The matter is being investigated by counterterrorism police because of the nature of the offense.

The breach at RAF Molesworth is the third security incident to rattle the British military community in the past month as defense and intelligence officials warn that the United Kingdom is likely to be targeted by so-called hybrid attacks by people working for foreign powers such as Russia and Iran.

On Sept. 27, authorities discovered three suspicious vans near RAF Fairford , a British air base from which U.S. bombers have launched strikes against Iran, triggering a widespread investigation that has led to seven arrests. The U.S. Air Force withdrew all of its bombers from the base last weekend.

On Thursday, a serving member of the Royal Navy appeared in court on charges that he attempted to send sensitive information to Russia between November 2024 and May 2025.

There is nothing to suggest that the incident at RAF Molesworth is related to what happened at RAF Fairford, Cmdr. Helen Flanagan, head of the counterterrorism unit, said in a statement.

“Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages,” Flanagan said. “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.''

RAF Molesworth was founded in 1917 and was used by U.S. bombers during World War II. It housed a variety of British and U.S. units after the war until 1990, when the RAF began building a new intelligence analysis center for the U.S. European Command. That facility has evolved into what is now known as NATO's Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe.

The U.S. European Command said that it was aware of the incident, but declined to comment on “specific force protection measures.”

“We will continue to assess the threat environment surrounding our installations and take appropriate actions to protect our people, our platforms, and the bases where our forces operate from,” the command said in a statement. “While we assess the global security posture, U.S. forces remain at the highest state of readiness.”

Following the security alert at RAF Fairford, the U.S. Air Force last weekend brought home all of the bombers it had deployed to the base.

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he didn’t want to tempt “the enemy” by having the bombers there.

British officials have declined to comment on reports that the bombers were moved because of fears of a drone attack on the base.

U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said Thursday that the government is “highly vigilant” about potential threats to its military installations.

“The protection of our bases is multilayered, including physical barriers, patrols, surveillance, monitoring, and counter-drone capabilities,” he said in a statement.

Emma Burrows contributed to this report.