United Kingdom: two Latvians arrested after an intrusion into an English military base, which houses NATO intelligence bodies

Two Latvians were arrested Thursday after entering the Molesworth military base in England, which notably houses NATO and American army intelligence bodies, barely ten days after an incident near another English base.

The counter-terrorism police are responsible for the investigation, but at this stage “nothing suggests” that it is linked to what happened on September 27 near the Fairford base, in the southwest of England, said the head of the counter-terrorism police in London, Helen Flanagan, quoted in a press release.

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“An abandoned vehicle” near the base

The two Latvians, aged 32 and 36, resident in the United Kingdom, are suspected of “trespassing in a prohibited place for harmful purposes in the United Kingdom”, under the national security law, police said. On Wednesday evening at around 10:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. GMT), a Ministry of Defense police security patrol reported “an abandoned vehicle” near the perimeter of the Molesworth base, located in Cambridgeshire.

Searches around the site led to the discovery of “a small breach in the fence” surrounding the base, and around 2:00 a.m. local time on Thursday (01:00 GMT), two men were located and arrested “inside the perimeter of the base,” the press release details. Police also carried out two searches at addresses in the Peterborough area, around 40 minutes north of the Molesworth base.

Since the Fairford incident, preceded by the intrusion of pro-Palestinian activists on the Brize Norton base in 2025, the security of British military bases has been the subject of numerous questions. “We remain extremely vigilant against potential threats to our military sites,” British Defense Minister Wes Streeting said on X on Thursday. “The protection of our bases relies on a multi-level system, including physical barriers, patrols, surveillance, monitoring and anti-drone capabilities,” he added.

A conference on Russia

The Royal Air Force site, which no longer flies planes, hosts several sensitive bodies, including the Nato Intelligence Fusion Center, responsible for providing intelligence for Atlantic Alliance operations. According to its website, the center hosted a conference on Russia on Tuesday and Wednesday. The base is also used by US Army intelligence units. Asked by AFP, a spokesperson for the US Army Europe Command indicated that it was “inappropriate to discuss intelligence issues”.

“We will continue to assess the threat to our installations and take appropriate measures to protect our personnel, our platforms as well as the bases from which our forces operate,” he added. After the Fairford incident, for which Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” of Iranian involvement, the United States announced the withdrawal of its bombers stationed at this site, due to “threats” linked to Iran according to American President Donald Trump.

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Tehran has strongly denied these accusations. The investigation is still ongoing. Seven men were arrested and released under judicial supervision. The police intervened after the report of “three suspicious vehicles”. A vast perimeter had been cordoned off and dozens of homes evacuated around the airfield, used by the US army for “defensive operations” in its war against Iran. Inside the vehicles, police said they found no explosives, but gasoline “in quantity.”