US forces respond to suspected drone activity over UK base

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LONDON: US forces responded to possible unauthorized drone activity over a military base in Britain on Friday, officials from the two countries said, in the ...

LONDON: US forces responded to possible unauthorized drone activity over a military base in Britain on Friday, officials from the two countries said, in the latest security incident at a facility hosting American warplanes.

“No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected” at the RAF Lakenheath base, a US Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our US service members, US and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the statement added.

A spokesperson for Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the account, saying “the situation is now resolved”.

A post on the official RAF Lakenheath Facebook page earlier this week urged people to report “suspicious activity, including unauthorized drone activity”. “Our strongest security asset is an observant community,” it said.

The incident came after the US Justice Department announced charges earlier in the week against three men it described as “Iranian operatives” over their alleged role in a terrorist plot at RAF Fairford, another British base.

The three men allegedly helped plan and direct the September incident, which came to light when police were called after a local farmer reported seeing a group of men with several white vans engaged in “suspicious” activity.

According to a US charging document, a man identified as Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani directed unnamed individuals to drive the vans, some of which contained barrels of fuel, to the base, and had earlier paid the group to buy metal objects that could be used as shrapnel.

Days later, the United States withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the base.

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