Drone activity over US base in Britain prompts security response, US military says

LONDON (AP) — Unauthorized drone activity has prompted a security response at an American base in Britain, the U.S. military said Friday.

Security forces at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in eastern England responded to suspected unauthorized drone activity, but no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure have been affected, the U.S. Air Force in Europe said in a statement.

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

The drone incident means that three U.S. bases in the United Kingdom have been affected by threats in recent weeks. Friday's security response at RAF Lakenheath comes just days after the U.S. moved more than a dozen aircraft from a different base just miles away in eastern England — RAF Mildenhall — because of a threat.

During the plane exodus, RAF Mildenhall also raised its alert level to FPCON Charlie — the second-highest level, which is used when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely.

A U.S. official said at the time that the decision to move the aircraft was proactive rather than reactive.

Several weeks ago, a group of men was detained after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Mildenhall and Lakenheath. British authorities linked the plot to Iran, and the U.S. withdrew its bombers that had been stationed there.

The U.K.-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Iran war. Other arrests followed, and at least three men have been charged with plotting to attack RAF Fairford.

Also this week, a U.S. Army officer assigned to a NATO unit at a military base near Gloucester, England, was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia. Police said the arrest was not related to other counterterrorism investigations, indicating no connection with the suspected terror plot linked to Iran at RAF Fairford, also near Gloucester.