RAF Brize Norton: Four arrested by counter-terror police after break-in

RAF Brize Norton: Four arrested by counter-terror police after break-in

In an incident that has raised concerns about security at RAF Brize Norton, counter-terror police have apprehended four individuals following an unauthorized break-in that resulted in military aircraft being defaced with paint. The daring act, claimed by a pro-Palestinian group called Palestine Action, involved two individuals sneaking into the Oxfordshire airbase under the cover of darkness. One of the intruders was captured on camera riding a scooter up to an Airbus Voyager and spraying paint into its jet engine.

The arrests, carried out by South East counter terrorism police, targeted a 29-year-old woman without a permanent address, along with two men aged 36 and 24 from London, all on terrorism-related charges. Additionally, a 41-year-old woman of no fixed abode was also taken into custody on suspicion of aiding an offender. The trio of suspects, aged 24, 29, and 36, are being investigated for potential involvement in “the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism”, according to authorities.

No further information has been disclosed by the South East counter-terror police regarding the detainees or their alleged connection to the incident at RAF Brize Norton. In response to the breach, the government announced its intention to outlaw Palestine Action, effectively banning membership or public endorsement of the group. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed plans to present a draft proscription order to Parliament by 30 June, underscoring the gravity of the security breach at the military base.

Despite heightened security measures such as perimeter fences, surveillance cameras, and regular patrols around RAF Brize Norton, the incursion by Palestine Action activists went undetected, resulting in damage to two air-to-air refuelling tankers. The group claimed to have utilized fire extinguishers and crowbars to carry out the vandalism, asserting that they had rendered the tankers “out of service”. The incident prompted Defence Secretary John Healey to order a comprehensive security review of all UK military installations, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer denounced the break-in as a deplorable act of vandalism

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