US Air Force personnel at RAF Lakenheath in Britain responded to “suspected unauthorized drone activity” on Friday evening, although no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected, a US Air Force spokesperson said.
“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the spokesperson said via email.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said U.S. Air Force security force personnel responded to reports of unauthorized drone activity and the situation was resolved.
“We are working closely with them to establish the facts. We will provide updates in due course,” a ministry spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
In recent weeks, the United States has moved bombers that had been used to strike Iran out of Britain, and transferred huge refueling planes from Britain to Germany. A news report later said there had been a threat from Iran.
The bombers left RAF Fairford for safety reasons after a group of men approached the base in white vans in the middle of the night on September 27.
Two men were charged last month in connection with the incident, with prosecutors alleging one of them tried to help Iranian intelligence services in Britain. The U.S. Justice Department said this week that a member of an Iran-backed militia plotted to attack Fairford Air Force Base while in U.S. custody on criminal charges.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the refueling planes were moved because of an Iranian threat.
Britain’s domestic intelligence chief said in October that Iran had stepped up attempts to strike tougher targets such as military sites in Britain.
Tehran has rejected accusations of involvement in the Fairford incident or any other accusations of malicious activity in Britain, where authorities have accused it for several years of being involved in plots and assassination attempts against dissidents and Israeli and Jewish targets.
Germany accused Russia of being responsible for an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in August after airport workers found a drone loaded with explosives and a detonator at the airport, a major NATO civilian cargo and logistics hub in eastern Germany that also serves as a base for several giant Ukrainian Antonov An-124 cargo planes.
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