No threat to public after suspected drone at US air base, says MP
No threat to public after suspected drone at US air base, says MP
Louise Parry Sat, November 14, 2026 at 2:46 PM UTC
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The US Air Force says it responded to "suspected unauthorised drone activity" over RAF Lakenheath on Friday
An MP has assured people there is "no threat to the public" after suspected unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
The US Air Force (USAF) said it had dealt with the incident on Friday evening, and no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure were affected.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Suffolk Police and its own police teams "were deployed to assist" and the situation "was quickly resolved".
Nick Timothy, the Conservative MP for West Suffolk, said he had contacted authorities at the base following reports of security alarms sounding.
"I am told there is no threat to the public, and the incident is now resolved," said Timothy.
"Given the raised threat level, I continue to encourage everyone to report anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to the authorities."
People took to social media to report hearing the alarms.
On Saturday, the MoD said: "We are continuing to co-ordinate with all relevant parties regarding reports of unauthorised drone activity at RAF Lakenheath on Friday evening."
It said the alert level was raised after USAF security forces "responded to reports of drone sightings".
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"While we continue to monitor the situation closely, RAF Lakenheath has now returned to normal security and force protection measures," it added.
On Tuesday, military personnel were spotted loading a US Air Force refuelling plane at RAF Mildenhall
US officials recently withdrew several of their planes from nearby RAF Mildenhall, also in Suffolk, which Timothy said followed a threat to the air base.
Mildenhall is mostly used for refuelling and maintenance operations and has also been used as a staging area for aircraft and material bound for the Middle East.
RAF Lakenheath has been used as an onward operating location by the USAF for decades.
In recent months, US bombers have taken off from there for the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use it before defensive strikes on Iran.
Downing Street has insisted British airbases are safe and that their security is a "top priority".
A USAF spokesperson said it continued to work "closely with our host nation counterparts" and "all of our families".
"Protecting our shared community is a joint responsibility and we encourage everyone to support this effort by reporting any unusual or suspicious activity to local authorities," they added.
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UK security criticised after USAF planes removed
Threat was to US base, not town, says MP
Source: “AOL Breaking”
