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Military Personnel Fire At Man Trying To Ram Checkpoint At US Air Base In UK

US military personnel fired shots at a man who tried to force his way into a military base in central England used by the U.S. air force on Monday. The Mildenhall Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, eastern England said security staff locked down the base, used by the United States to refuel U.S. and NATO aircraft in Europe, at about 1300 GMT following reports of a disturbance. The man was subsequently arrested after the incident.

The U.S. Air Force said the incident had been contained and that the suspect had been apprehended. Police said they remained on the base. The U.S. embassy declined immediate comment.

The UK Ministry of Defence said that the incident took place at the entrance of the base after the driver tried to force the car past the gates.

“Shots were fired by American service personnel and a man has been detained with cuts and bruises and taken into custody,” Suffolk Police said. “No other people have been injured as a result of the incident.”

The 1,162-acre base, which houses about 3,100 U.S. military and an additional 3,000 family members, is set for closure after the U.S. said it was going to move is operations from the base to Germany. “The base was locked down and emergency personnel are responding to the situation,” RAF Mildenhall said in a statement. “Individuals in the area surrounding the installation are asked to avoid the base at this time.”

A statement for the base said the lockdown had later been lifted.

Source
War
Europe
Royal Air Force