Two Latvian men arrested at RAF base in Cambridgeshire used by US military

Men aged 32 and 36 detained on suspicion of trespass, causing criminal damage and entering a prohibited place

Two Latvian men were arrested in the early hours of Thursday after they were discovered inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth, a Cambridgeshire base used by the US military and Nato for intelligence operations.

Military police, helped by officers from Cambridgeshire police, discovered a small hole in the perimeter fence before finding and arresting the men, initially on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and causing criminal damage.

Counter-terror police are now leading the investigation due to the nature of the incident, which comes a few days after the US withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire amid concerns about a possible Iran-directed attack.

“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,” she added.

A police cordon was also briefly imposed on part of the A1 south of Peterborough and around the village of Glatton, as a precaution, but has been lifted. Officers were carrying out two searches at addresses in the Peterborough area in connection with the investigation, counter-terror police added in a statement.

RAF Molesworth is home to Nato’s Intelligence Fusion Centre, which provides military intelligence to Nato, and the US Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Europe, which provides similar service for the US military’s European command, though not Centcom, which is responsible for Iran.

The head of the armed forces, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, said he had “confidence around the safety and security of our bases” as he visited troops on a military exercise in Wales earlier on Thursday.

“The decision to remove the bombers, which don’t ordinarily live there … to take them back was an operational decision to reduce the risk,” he added. The bombers were suddenly redeployed on Sunday, amid reports that the US feared Iran could orchestrate a drone attack on B-1 planes on the ground.

Mark Rowley, the Met police chief, said the public would “see more progress on this investigation”, and urged them to trust the police as they worked with spy agencies MI5, GCHQ and intelligence partners internationally.

Rowley acknowledged the threat landscape appeared to have changed. “We’re dealing with an increased tempo of terrorists and also of threats that are directed by foreign states such as Iran and Russia,” he said in a radio interview.