RAF Mildenhall: Shots fired by US guards during ‘security incident’
Man arrested at Suffolk base after allegedly attempting to drive car through checkpoint
A man has been arrested following a “security incident” involving a vehicle checkpoint at RAF Mildenhall, an airbase used by the US air force.
A Ministry of Defence source told Sky News that “a man driving a car tried to force the vehicle into the barriers at the entrance” to the Suffolk base, home to more than 3,000 US service personnel and several hundred British civilian staff.
Shots were fired by American guards during the incident, but the detained man sustained only cuts and bruises, Suffolk Police said in a statement. “No other people have been injured as a result of the incident.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Suffolk base went into lockdown at around 1pm, according to a statement posted on RAF Mildenhall’s Facebook page.
The lockdown has since been lifted and the security alert officially declared over, but police are still advising people to avoid the area.
Sky’s defence correspondent, Alistair Bunkall, said: "It was described to me as some sort of argument at the base gates.”
"Police are continuing to deal with an ongoing incident at RAF Mildenhall,” Suffolk Police said in a Twitter post, adding that they believed there is “no wider threat to the public or occupants on the base”.
“One man has been arrested and police are not looking for anyone else on the site,” the police added.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The future of X
Talking Point Trump's ascendancy is reviving the platform's coffers, whether or not a merger is on the cards
By The Week UK Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published