Man detained after incident at U.K. base used by U.S. Air Force
CHRIS RADBURN/PA FILE, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk Eastern England, as seen in Jan. 2015. British police said today that they are responding to a “significant” incident at a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. Air Force.
LONDON >> A Royal Air Force base in Britain used by the U.S. Air Force was briefly locked down and a man was taken into custody after a disturbance today, police said. American service members fired shots, according to county police.
No one was injured other than the detained man, who had cuts and bruises. The nature of the disturbance was unclear, though British media reported that a car tried to ram the gates.
The U.S. has air-refueling assets stationed at the RAF Mildenhall base in Suffolk, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of London.
The base is home to the U.S. Air Force’s 100th Air Refueling Wing, which is responsible for American refueling operations across Europe. Other units, including the 501st Combat Support Wing, the 352nd Special Operations Wing and the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron are also stationed there.
The Pentagon urged all individuals near the base to avoid it, but the lockdown was lifted about an hour after the incident started.
