Police are looking for two men described as “Middle Eastern” in appearance who allegedly attempted to abduct an RAF serviceman at knifepoint outside his military barracks, an incident they say may have been motivated by terrorism.

Norfolk constabulary said on Thursday they were seeking two men aged between 20 and 30, and confirmed the incident was being treated as a botched abduction attempt.

One of the alleged assailants leapt from a dark-coloured Ford Galaxy and tried to drag the unarmed serviceman towards the vehicle as he was going for a run near RAF Marham on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

The serviceman fought back and knocked the attacker to the floor, at which point the second man allegedly got out of the car wielding a three-inch blade. As he went to help his companion, the victim ran away.



At a press conference in Wymondham, Norfolk, Det Supt Paul Durham said the victim – who is married and in his late 20s – believed the first assailant shouted something, but as he had been listening to music the victim was unable to confirm what was said.

Durham added: “What he reports is while he was running he becomes aware of the vehicle parked opposite him, but there was nothing about it that made him in any way suspicious of it, and it wasn’t until he was almost alongside it [that] he became aware of one of the occupants of the vehicle.”

Police could not rule out that there were more people in the car, Durham said.

“The attacker placed his hand on the victim’s shoulder and then on his wrist and started to pull him with a degree of force towards the vehicle,” he said. “Our victim resisted that, managed to break free, effectively fought free from that attack and rendered the first assailant – well, he effectively knocked him on the floor.”

Durham said it appeared to be a pre-planned attack, but it was “too early” to be certain. “[The victim is] naturally very shaken by his ordeal, as you would expect.”

The base remained on high alert, with officers on patrol and some roads still closed, but an event for families to celebrate the base’s centenary went ahead as planned on Thursday with a heightened civilian and RAF police presence, a base spokesman said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest British armed police stand guard outside RAF Marham. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images

The fact that the Norfolk constabulary is in control of the investigation suggests that, while terrorism is a possibility that cannot be discounted, at this stage there is no evidence to suggest that.

If it was believed to be terrorism, a series of national agencies could be expected to be involved in the investigation or take it over, ranging from Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command to the domestic intelligence agency MI5, which leads the UK’s response to countering terrorism.

Media reports have compared the attack with the murder of soldier Lee Rigby near Woolwich barracks in 2013, although in that case a car was used to first knock the victim unconscious.

RAF Marham is home to four Tornado squadrons that have played a key role in the bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria. From 2018, the base will also house the F-35 Lightning II jet.

Military personnel and bases in the UK have previously been the targets of terrorist attacks and plots. In April, two men were jailed for planning attacks on soldiers. The court heard that one of the men had used his job as a delivery driver to get close to several UK bases operated by the US military.

Norfolk police said they were called just before 3.30pm on Wednesday to reports that two men armed with a knife had approached the serviceman near RAF Marham’s married accommodation.

Assistant chief constable Nick Dean said: “The motivation of this incident remains unclear. We’re unable at this time to discount terrorism but I stress other lines of inquiry are equally as plausible.”

Police released descriptions of the suspects earlier on Thursday. The first man was “between 20 and 30 years old, approximately 6ft tall, of athletic but stocky build, with dark hair which was long on top and [he] had a well-groomed beard. He was of Middle Eastern origin in appearance with a dark skin tone and wore dark casual clothing.”

The second was “between 20 and 30 years old, but younger than the first suspect and of a slimmer build. He was approximately 5ft 10, clean shaven with short dark hair. He was also of Middle Eastern origin in appearance and wore a white T-shirt and dark shorts.”

Durham added: “I’m keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the vehicle described in the King’s Lynn area, but particularly towards Marham between midday and 6pm [on Wednesday], and would urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem to them, to call police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”



The Mirror website published what it said was an internal Ministry of Defence memo describing the incident as an attempted abduction and warning personnel not to leave the base alone in uniform or clothing that identified them as having links to RAF Marham. It reported that the memo had been circulated to military and civilian staff at the base and posted on Facebook.

Norfolk’s police and crime commissioner, Lorne Green, said: “We must not draw any conclusions as investigations are in their early stages and the constabulary and the military police are working closely together. The incident is under investigation and the police are rightly keeping an open mind. There is nothing to suggest one motive above another.”

The MoD said security at all its bases was under continual review and it would be inappropriate to comment further.