(FILES) A picture shows the signage at the entrance to British Royal Air Force base RAF Lakenheath, which hosts the near the 48th Fighter Wing of the US Air Force, near the village of Lakenheath in eastern England on June 16, 2020. US forces responded to possible drone activity over a military base in Britain on November 13, 2026, a US Air Force spokesperson said. American forces “responded to suspected unauthorized drone activity over RAF Lakenheath. No personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected,” the spokesperson said in a statement. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / AFP)

US forces responded to possible unauthorized 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.

Nick Timothy, a local member of parliament, said in a statement on Facebook that he had been in touch with authorities at the base and was “told there is no threat to the public, and the incident 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,” the post said.

The possible drone incident at Lakenheath 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.

– Iran war fallout –

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

UK police last month charged two British men with national security offenses related to the RAF Fairford incident.

One was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service, believed to be in Iran, and another with entering a prohibited place for a purpose “prejudicial” to the UK.

Flight-tracking data showed Tuesday that the US military had removed at least a dozen aircraft from another British airbase, RAF Mildenhall, following what the Wall Street Journal said was a threat from Iran.

The United States has flown military aircraft from bases in Britain as part of the US-Israeli war against Iran sparked earlier this year, which saw Tehran respond by launching missiles and drones at countries across the region, while the militant groups it backs also entered the fray.

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.

Iranian officials have previously threatened to expand the geographic scope of the conflict should the US attack again.

In late September, an adviser to Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei publicly mused that the war could “expand even further, reaching the Indian Ocean and perhaps beyond.”

US says forces responded to suspected drone activity over base in Britain

Suggested for you

More Stories

2027: PDP&#8217;s Popoola pledges to tackle insecurity, infrastructure deficit

Zamfara stands still as Gov Lawal hosts First Lady, Remi Tinubu for mega rally

All departing US flights grounded due to communication outage

Global outage: Microsoft blames network change for service disruption

Silva says Portugal ready for spotlight without Ronaldo

Police arrest three over suspected GH¢20m counterfeit GTP fabrics at Adabraka

Discussion

2027: PDP’s Popoola pledges to tackle insecurity, infrastructure deficit