2 arrested after breach found in perimeter fence at US-operated base in Britain

The arrests at RAF Molesworth come less than two weeks after British authorities uncovered a suspected plot to attack RAF Fairford. The gate at RAF Molesworth in England, on April 27, 2022. (Eugene Oliver/U.S. Air Force) Two men were arrested inside a U.S.-operated military base in Britain early Thursday after police discovered a breach in its perimeter fence, local law enforcement officials said. The arrests at RAF Molesworth come less than two weeks after British authorities uncovered a suspected plot to attack RAF Fairford, a base used by U.S. bombers during military operations against Iran. British counterterrorism police said Thursday there was no evidence linking the two incidents.

“We’re very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites, but at this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week,” Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said in a statement. The men arrested at Molesworth were Latvian nationals, ages 32 and 36, who live in Britain, police said. The pair were being held on suspicion of entering a prohibited military installation for purposes counter to British national security, authorities said. RAF Molesworth, about 70 miles north of London, is an intelligence hub for American and NATO military operations. The installation houses the NATO Intelligence Fusion