Nocturnal 
Two Latvian nationals have been arrested under the National Security Act after a security breach at an RAF base in Cambridgeshire.
The men, aged 36 and 32, were both living in the UK and were found inside the perimeter of RAF Molesworth at around 2am on Thursday, police said.
The alert began the evening before, when a Ministry of Defence Police patrol spotted an abandoned vehicle near the base at around 10pm on Wednesday. Officers from the MDP and Cambridgeshire Constabulary then searched the area and discovered a small breach in the perimeter fence a few hours later, leading to the arrests inside the base grounds.
The pair were initially held on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage. They have since been further arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, which covers entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said investigators were “very aware of the recent heightened interest and concern around military sites” but stressed there was currently nothing linking the incident to a separate high-profile case at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire last week.
“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,” Flanagan said.
Officers also carried out two searches at addresses in the Peterborough area as part of the investigation, which Flanagan described as being in its “very early stages”.
The abandoned vehicle found near the base also caused disruption on Thursday, with the A1M and several other roads in the nearby Glatton area partially closed from around 1pm while bomb squad officers examined it. Cambridgeshire Police said the cordon was lifted shortly afterwards after “nothing of concern was identified”.
Why it matters
RAF Molesworth, west of Huntingdon near the Northamptonshire border, has taken on growing strategic significance. In 2024, the US Defence Intelligence Agency announced it had broken ground on a $556 million (£421 million) facility at the site, intended to serve as a hub for US military intelligence operations across Europe and Africa.
That makes any security breach at the base more sensitive than it might otherwise be, particularly given recent public concern over incidents at UK military installations, including the unconnected case at RAF Fairford last week.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the department remained “highly vigilant to potential threats against defence sites” and worked closely with police and allies to keep them secure, citing a “multi-layered approach that includes physical barriers, patrols, surveillance, monitoring, and counter-drone capabilities”. A spokesperson for US European Command also thanked UK agencies for their support in responding to the incident.
What happens next
Both men remain in police custody while counter-terror detectives continue to investigate the circumstances of the breach and the men’s intentions. Police have asked the public to remain vigilant and report anything of concern, though no further details of the investigation have yet been released.
