US military personnel fire shots as man tries to force entry into British base

LONDON: US military personnel fired shots as they stopped a man who tried to force his way into a military base in central England used by the US air force on Monday, police said.

The Mildenhall Royal Air Force base said security staff locked down the base, used by the United States to refuel US and NATO aircraft in Europe, at about 1300 GMT following reports of a disturbance.

Read More: Britain, Saudi Arabia sign military cooperation deal

“Shots were fired by American service personnel and a man has been detained with cuts and bruises and taken into custody,” Suffolk Police said. “No other people have been injured as a result of the incident.”

The US Air Force said the incident had been contained and that the suspect had been arrested. Police said they remained on the base. The US embassy declined immediate comment.

The 1,162-acre base, which houses about 3,100 US military and an additional 3,000 family members, is set for closure after the US said it was going to move its operations from the base to Germany.

Read More: Four US military helicopter crew die in British crash

“The base was locked down and emergency personnel are responding to the situation,” RAF Mildenhall said in a statement. “Individuals in the area surrounding the installation are asked to avoid the base at this time.”

A statement for the base said the lockdown had later been lifted.