British police announced on Monday that they responded to a security incident at a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. Air Force. In the process, RAF Mildenhall (a base in eastern England) was placed on lockdown while authorities investigated. The Suffolk Police tweeted developments as news broke, including confirmation that the incident was considered “significant.” The department also advised the public to avoid the area.
Police are responding to reports of a significant incident at RAF Mildenhall, further details shortly, follow us for any updates.
— Suffolk Police (@SuffolkPolice) December 18, 2017
Members of the public are asked to avoid the area around RAF Mildenhall for the time being. More to follow shortly.
— Suffolk Police (@SuffolkPolice) December 18, 2017
CNN soon followed up with details on the incident, which began when a driver attempted to breach a security checkpoint at the base’s entrance, where the unidentified man “tried to force the car past the gates.” Suffolk Police later tweeted that the man has been taken into custody with “cuts and bruises,” and no one else was arrested during the attempted breach or the arrest.
According to statistics from the Pentagon, approximately 3,000 U.S. Air Force members and their families reside at RAF Mildenhall. The base is also home to one of the Royal Air Force’s largest bomber stations.
Sky News also reported that shots were fired by U.S. Air Force personnel during the incident, a detail that was later echoed by NBC News. On Facebook, the base acknowledged what they refer to as a “disturbance” while asking people not to post about the incident on social media. Although authorities have not yet revealed the suspect’s identity, RAF Mildenhall has since lifted the lockdown.
(Via BBC, CNN, Sky News, NBC News & Department Of Defense)