2 foreign nationals breach UK base housing key US, NATO intel hub amid $556M expansion

Two Latvian nationals legally living in the United Kingdom were arrested under Section 4 of Britain's National Security Act of 2023 on Thursday after breaching a perimeter fence at RAF Molesworth, a sensitive British military base housing critical U.S. and NATO intelligence operations, Reuters reported.

The arrests triggered a major counterterrorism investigation into the security breach at the strategic installation, which serves as a central intelligence hub supporting American military commanders across Europe and Africa.

The base is also undergoing a $556.5 million expansion centered on the Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex (JIAC), a facility designed to consolidate 20 intelligence facilities and accommodate more than 1,000 personnel, according to reports .

The suspects, ages 32 and 36, were discovered inside the base around 2 a.m.

Thursday following an extensive security sweep.

Ministry of Defense Police officers conducting routine patrols first raised the alarm around 10 p.m.

Wednesday after finding an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter.

IRAN UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER PLOT FOILED NEAR UK BASE USED BY US MILITARY Bomb disposal specialists cleared the vehicle before armed officers discovered a fence breach and located the men inside.

Initially detained on suspicion of trespass and criminal damage, both men were rearrested under the National Security Act for entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom.

They remain in custody as counterterrorism detectives execute search warrants at two residential properties in nearby Peterborough.

Managed by the U.S.

Air Force 's 423rd Air Base Group, RAF Molesworth is a nonflying installation dedicated to joint intelligence and command operations.

It houses intelligence elements for U.S.

European Command, U.S.