Two Latvian nationals arrested after being found inside the RAF Molesworth military base in Cambridgeshire have been released on bail under strict conditions.
The suspects, aged 32 and 26, are currently UK residents. They were discovered inside the intelligence facility at around 2:00 am on Thursday. The base is heavily utilized by both Nato and the US military for intelligence operations.
The security response began four hours earlier, at approximately 10:00 pm on Wednesday, when military police spotted an abandoned vehicle near the base. Officers from the Ministry of Defence police and the Cambridgeshire constabulary subsequently discovered a small hole in the facility's perimeter fence, leading to the search and eventual arrest of the two men inside the perimeter.
Initially detained on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing on a prohibited site, the men were later arrested under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 for entering a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the UK. Following their arrests, police conducted searches at two residential addresses in the Peterborough area and seized the abandoned vehicle for examination at a secure police site.
Commander Helen Flanagan, who leads Counter Terrorism Policing London, confirmed that investigators are actively working to determine the suspects' motives, including potential links to criminal activity. Flanagan noted that while authorities are highly sensitive to "recent heightened interest and concern around military sites," there is currently no evidence linking this intrusion to the security incident near RAF Fairford in September.
Located to the west of Huntingdon, RAF Molesworth serves as a critical strategic hub, hosting both the US Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Europe, and Nato’s Intelligence Fusion Centre. The investigation into the breach remains ongoing.
The two men, aged 32 and 26, were arrested at 2am on Thursday after they were discovered inside RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, which is used by the US military and Nato for intelligence operations.
An investigation had begun four hours earlier, when military police found an abandoned vehicle near the facility at around 10pm on Wednesday.
