Latvians Arrested After Breaching Perimeter of NATO Intel Base in the UK

British counter-terrorism police have arrested two Latvian nationals after they breached the perimeter fence of RAF Molesworth, the Cambridgeshire base that hosts US and NATO intelligence operations, authorities said on Thursday. The men, aged 36 and 32, were found inside the base in the early hours of October 8 and were re-arrested under the National Security Act on suspicion of entering a prohibited place "for a purpose prejudicial to the UK."

An aerial view of RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire, a US Air Force-operated base that hosts NATO intelligence operations. (File photo)

How the Arrests Happened

According to the Metropolitan Police, the chain of events began late on Wednesday night when Ministry of Defence Police carrying out security patrols at RAF Molesworth spotted an abandoned vehicle near the base's edge at around 10pm. The suspicious find raised the alarm, and officers from Counter Terrorism Policing and Cambridgeshire Constabulary joined the investigation. Searches uncovered a small breach in the perimeter fence. At about 2am on Thursday, the two men were discovered inside the base and arrested. Both are Latvian nationals who live in the UK, police said. Specialist explosive ordnance disposal officers were deployed to examine the abandoned vehicle before it was taken away for further searches. Police said "nothing of concern was found" and a cordon affecting nearby roads, including the Glatton area, was lifted. The men were first arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage, and taken to a Cambridgeshire police station. They were then further arrested on suspicion of an offence under section 4 of the National Security Act 2023 — entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. The investigation, which also included searches at addresses in Peterborough, is being led by Counter Terrorism Policing London, which handles the matter because of the nature of the offence. Commander Helen Flanagan of Counter Terrorism Policing London said the investigation was at its very early stages and that officers were keeping an open mind about potential motives. Police added that there was nothing at this stage to suggest the incident was linked to a suspected plot against another base last month, but that they were not ruling anything out.

What RAF Molesworth Is

The base at the centre of the incident is no ordinary airfield. RAF Molesworth is a former Second World War airfield in Cambridgeshire, roughly 60 miles north of London, that today serves as a non-flying installation run by the US Air Force. It hosts the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, a body of more than 200 staff that supports the Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Allied Command Operations — the alliance's operational planning and execution arm. According to the CIA's own website, Molesworth also hosts US intelligence operations centres for Europe and Africa. Its mix of American and alliance intelligence functions makes it one of the most sensitive military installations in the country, and any intrusion there is automatically treated with the utmost seriousness.

The National Security Act Charge

The re-arrest of the two men under the National Security Act 2023 significantly raises the stakes of the case. Section 4 of the Act covers entering a prohibited place "for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom" — an offence carrying a maximum sentence of up to life imprisonment in the most serious cases. The decision to invoke the Act, rather than treating the matter as a simple trespass, signals that investigators consider the breach potentially hostile in nature. Counter-terrorism police, rather than local officers, are leading the inquiry, and the men remain in custody while detectives question them. No charges have been filed as of Thursday evening, and police have not publicly described what, if anything, the men said about their motives.

A satellite view of RAF Fairford, the US bomber base at the centre of a suspected Iranian-linked plot in September. (Source: The Guardian)

A Third Incident in a Month

The Molesworth arrests are the third security incident to rattle Britain's military community in the past month, and they come amid official warnings that the UK is likely to be targeted by so-called hybrid attacks by operatives working for foreign powers such as Russia and Iran. The most serious previous incident occurred on September 27, when police discovered suspicious vans near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire — the US Air Force's only heavy-bomber airfield in Europe, from which bombers have launched strikes against Iran. Seven men in their twenties were arrested, including a dual UK-Iranian national, and all were later released on strict bail. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Sky News there was a "strong indication" Iran was behind the plot; Tehran's embassy denied it, calling the claims "Iranophobia propaganda." The incident had immediate consequences: the Pentagon confirmed it had pulled all of its B-1 bombers out of Fairford within days. Separately, earlier this month two Iranians appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with preparing terrorist acts against Manchester's Jewish community, accused of assembling a homemade bomb and conducting hostile reconnaissance of a synagogue and museum. Commander Flanagan said officers had no indication that the Molesworth breach was connected to the Fairford investigation but were "keeping an open mind."

What This Means

The arrest at Molesworth lands at a moment of unusual strain on British military security. The UK's bases are in the spotlight as never before: Iran remains a live adversary in the shadow war playing out across the Middle East, with British and American officials warning of hybrid operations on home soil, and the country's most sensitive sites are being tested. The use of the National Security Act — drafted specifically to give authorities tools against modern espionage and sabotage — suggests investigators are treating the intrusion as potentially hostile rather than a case of wayward intruders. If the breach turns out to be state-directed, it would confirm officials' worst fears about the vulnerability of even the UK's most guarded intelligence sites. If it proves to be something less — a criminal or reckless act — the severe charge will still serve as a warning that perimeter breaches at intelligence installations carry enormous legal consequences. Either way, the incident is certain to sharpen the debate already underway about base security, after the Fairford episode exposed how easily outsiders could approach the perimeter of a major US military facility.

What Happens Next

The two men remain in police custody in Cambridgeshire as detectives continue to question them and forensic teams examine the seized vehicle. Any decision to charge — whether under the National Security Act or lesser offences — will come in the days ahead. Counter-terrorism officers will also be working to establish whether the men acted alone, what they intended to do inside the base, and whether any foreign direction was involved. The answers to those questions will determine whether this becomes a routine prosecution or the latest chapter in a widening confrontation between Britain and hostile foreign intelligence services. The Ministry of Defence and the US Air Force are expected to review security arrangements at the base, as both countries digest an intrusion at the very heart of their shared intelligence infrastructure.