Police arrest two Latvian nationals over suspected trespass at RAF base

The two men remain in police custody

The men, aged 36 and 32, are both resident in the UK and were detained at RAF Molesworth at around 2am on 8 October.

Their presence at the site was discovered after Ministry of Defence Police officers came across an abandoned vehicle while carrying out security patrols.

A search of the area was then carried out by the MDP alongside officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

During the operation, police found a small section of the base's perimeter fence had been breached.

The two men were arrested and initially questioned over suspected trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage. They were taken to a Cambridgeshire police station following their arrest.

Police have since added a national security allegation to the case under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023.

The men are now suspected of entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.

They remain in custody as officers investigate why they were inside the military site and the circumstances surrounding the breach.

Officers say it is too early to establish a motive

Counter Terrorism Policing London has stressed that there is currently no evidence connecting the incident at RAF Molesworth to events at RAF Fairford last week.

Commander Helen Flanagan said officers were aware of growing concern about incidents involving military sites but said it was too soon to establish exactly why the two men had entered the Cambridgeshire base.

“There is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week,” she said.

Investigators are now working to establish what led the men to the site and whether they had a specific motive for being there. 

Flanagan said officers were considering all possibilities while the investigation remained at an early stage.

“Our investigation into this incident is at its very early stages,” she 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 enquiries are very much ongoing.”

She also appealed to the public to remain vigilant and pass on anything they believe could be relevant to police.

Meanwhile, the investigation has expanded to two addresses in Peterborough, where officers are carrying out searches as they continue to establish what happened and why the men were at the RAF site.