The U.S. Army has said this Friday that it has identified a "suspected unauthorized drone activity" over the base of the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in Lakenheath, in the east of the United Kingdom, an installation used by U.S. forces.
After the detection of this "alleged unauthorized drone activity," U.S. military authorities issued an alert addressed to personnel assigned to the base, located in Suffolk County, telling them to "take cover" immediately. "Look for the nearest shelter room," the internal message that Skynews has obtained read.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force has confirmed the incident in statements to the aforementioned television network and stressed that "neither the personnel, nor the aircraft, nor the infrastructure" were affected as a result of this episode.
"We continue to work closely with our counterparts from the host country to ensure the safety of our U.S. military, of the civilians both American and from the host country, of the contractors, and of all our families," the spokesperson added, emphasizing that protecting the "shared community" is a "joint" responsibility between the two countries.
In this context, the Air Force representative urged any citizen who observes or detects "any unusual or suspicious activity" to report it to the competent local authorities in order to facilitate a rapid response.
The episode takes place just a few days after the U.S. Army evacuated on Monday more than a dozen fighter jets from another RAF base in Suffolk, that of Mildenhall, after receiving reports about a possible security threat allegedly linked to Iran.
Similarly, U.S. forces moved their B-1 bombers from the RAF base in Fairford, located in Gloucestershire County, where another incident was recorded at the end of September that also left no injuries or material damage, and whose investigation has been left to the anti-terrorism unit of the Police.
This base has recently been used for the deployment of U.S. bombers as part of the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, following the surprise offensive launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran.