MP: Threat at RAF Mildenhall Was to Base, Not Civilians

An MP has said the government has confirmed that a security threat was directed at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, but not at the town itself. The disclosure comes after more than 12 US Air Force aircraft departed the base in recent days, following a security incident that also led to the withdrawal of US bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

Threat Was Precautionary, Says MP

Nick Timothy, the Conservative MP for West Suffolk, said he spoke with a defence minister who confirmed that the threat was to the base and not to the town's civilians or civilian infrastructure. The minister also told him the threat was not imminent and that the action taken was precautionary.

RAF Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, the only permanent US air refuelling wing in Europe. Around 3,000 military personnel are stationed at the base, which is located about 80 miles (130km) north of London.

Information Tightly Controlled

Timothy noted that information is still being kept very tight due to national security concerns, which limits what the Ministry of Defence and US Air Force are likely to say publicly. He encouraged people to remain vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary to the authorities.

"These are national security issues, and with these kinds of threats it's not like in a James Bond movie - you get fragments of information and you can't act with total certainty all the time," he said. "There's a reason why information is kept quite tight in these circumstances, but what I do always say and I sadly say it right now, is that subject to those obvious national security constraints, it's really important that the Ministry of Defence and the US Air Force communicate as openly as possible with residents so that people can stay informed and they can know what to look out for and what to do if they do see things out of the ordinary."

The departures from RAF Mildenhall on Monday followed a security incident at RAF Fairford, a US-operated airbase in Gloucestershire. The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.

The incident has raised questions about security at US bases in the UK, with the MP emphasizing the importance of transparency with local residents while balancing national security needs.