Terrorism ‘not ruled out’ in RAF abduction attempt
The married serviceman, who is in his late 20s, was out running near RAF Marham, in Norfolk, on Wednesday when he was grabbed by a man, who attempted to drag him towards a nearby car.
The victim knocked the first attacker to the floor before an accomplice, carrying a knife, helped him up before both men fled.
The serviceman was said to have been left “very, very shaken by his ordeal”.
Norfolk Police Detective Superintendent Paul Durham said: “I can confirm we are treating this as an attempted abduction and detailed inquiries are being carried out at the scene to establish the full circumstances.
“The motivation for the attack remains unclear at this time, and whilst we are currently unable to discount terrorism, there are a number of other possible hypotheses. We are therefore carrying out a thorough investigation to understand what has happened, why and who is responsible.”
When asked at a press conference if he thought it was a pre-planned attack, Mr Durham replied: “I would be speculating at the moment but it is difficult to envisage a situation where perhaps there wasn’t an element of pre-planning, but it’s too early to say for sure.”
He added: “It was a regular running route for the victim, it’s a regular running route for a number of personnel within RAF Marham, it’s a well-trodden path.”
Police are keen to trace the two men, a dark-coloured people carrier and also the “military-style” knife, with a two-and-a-half to three-inch blade.
Mr Durham said it was believed the first man shouted something at the victim, who did not hear what he said because he was listening to music.
Norfolk Police released descriptions of two suspects of Middle Eastern appearance as military personnel were reportedly sent a memo warning them about the incident.
The first suspect is described as between 20 and 30 years old, about 6ft tall, of athletic, stocky build, with dark hair which was long on top. He had a well-groomed beard, was of Middle Eastern origin in appearance, with a dark skin tone and he wore dark casual clothing.
The second suspect is described as being between 20 and 30 but younger than the first suspect and of a slimmer build.
He was approximately 5ft 10in tall, clean-shaven, with short dark hair. He was also of Middle Eastern origin in appearance and wore a white t-shirt and dark shorts.
The force also said military bases were increasingly vigilant after the incident.
Nick Dean, Assistant Chief Constable, said: “The vigilance in and around not only RAF Marham but military bases has clearly increased as a result of this incident, however the wider security threat to the public and in terms of military bases remains unchanged at this time.”
A note seen by the Daily Mirror and addressed to all service personnel in the wake of the incident warns: “2x Asian males approached a serviceman who was running approximately 1 mile outside of RAF Marham main gate and tried to bundle him into their vehicle.
