WASHINGTON: US forces responded to possible drone activity over a military base in Britain on Friday, a US Air Force spokesperson said, in the latest security incident at a facility hosting American military aircraft.
“No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected” at the RAF Lakenheath base, the 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.
The possible drone incident came after the US Justice Department announced charges earlier in the week against three men it described as “Iranian operatives” over their role in an alleged terrorist plot at RAF Fairford, another British base.
The three men allegedly helped plan and direct the September incident at the base, 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.
A US charging document stated that a man identified as Mohammad Ali al-Hassani directed unnamed individuals to drive to the base in the vans, some of which contained barrels of fuel, and that he earlier paid the group to buy metallic objects that could be used as shrapnel.
Days after the incident, the United States withdrew all its B-1 bombers from the base.
The United States has flown military aircraft from bases in Britain as part of the US-Israeli war against Iran launched earlier this year.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei threatened to strike US bases beyond the Middle East, including in Europe, if they are used for attacks against the Islamic republic.
