UK authorities arrested two Latvian men on Thursday for entering RAF Molesworth, an RAF base north of London that houses U.S. and NATO intelligence operations, including the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre. The suspects were found inside the base perimeter after a small hole was discovered in the fence, leading to their arrest on charges related to trespassing and damaging security at a prohibited site. This incident follows other recent breaches at RAF bases, raising concerns about hybrid attacks by foreign powers targeting British military sites.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In early Thursday morning, two Latvian nationals were arrested at RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, UK, after they breached the base's security. The arrests occurred following the discovery of an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter by military police around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Counter-terrorism officers then found a small hole in the fence and located the suspects inside the base.
RAF Molesworth houses critical US and NATO intelligence operations, including the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre and the US Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Europe. Both centers provide essential intelligence to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and the US military's European command, respectively. The incident has sparked a major investigation due to its potential national security implications.
The two men were initially arrested on suspicion of trespassing at a prohibited site and causing criminal damage but later re-arrested under Section 4 of Britain's National Security Act 2023 for entering the base "for a purpose prejudicial to the UK." The base is currently undergoing a $556.5 million expansion, which will consolidate 20 intelligence facilities into one location and accommodate over 1,000 personnel.
Written for “Latvian Men Arrested at UK Base” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
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.
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police → arrest → operations
The base, RAF Molesworth, which is 112 km north of London, is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is home to the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, which provides information to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, as well as intelligence personnel from the U.S. Africa Command.
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which → operate → Command
Officers from the Ministry of Defence 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.
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London → investigate → 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.
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suspects → find → Thursday
The men, ages 32 and 36, were initially arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage.
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men → arrest → site
They were later arrested on charges of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the U.K.
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They → arrest → U.K.
The matter is being investigated by counterterrorism police because of the nature of the offense.
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matter → investigate → 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.
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Kingdom → rattle → Russia
On September 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.
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that → discover → arrests
The U.S. Air Force withdrew all of its bombers from the base last weekend.
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Force → withdraw → base
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.
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he → serve → November
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.
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Flanagan → be → statement
“Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages,” Flanagan said.
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Flanagan → say → 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."
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inquiries → look → stage
RAF Molesworth was founded in 1917 and was used by U.S. bombers during World War II.
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Molesworth → found → II
It housed a variety of British and US units after the war until 1990, when the RAF began building a new intelligence analysis centre for the U.S. European Command.
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RAF → house → Command
That facility has evolved into what is now known as NATO's Joint Intelligence Operations Centre Europe.
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what → evolve → Europe
The U.S. European Command said that it was aware of the incident, but declined to comment on “specific force protection measures”.
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it → say → 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.
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command → continue → statement
“While we assess the global security posture, US forces remain at the highest state of readiness.”
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forces → assess → 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.
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it → follow → base
.President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he didn't want to tempt “the enemy” by having the bombers there.
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he → tell → bombers
British officials have declined to comment on reports that the bombers were moved because of fears of a drone attack on the base.
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bombers → decline → base
U.K. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Thursday that the government is “highly vigilant” about potential threats to its military installations.
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government → say → installations
“The protection of our bases is multilayered, including physical barriers, patrols, surveillance, monitoring, and counter-drone capabilities,” he said in a statement.
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he → include → statement
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