Two people have been arrested, one of whom is understood to be Iranian, after they tried to enter the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland in what may have been an attempt at espionage.
A man, 34, and a woman, 31, were detained by Police Scotland after they had asked to enter one of Britain’s most sensitive military sites late on Thursday afternoon. The base is home to the UK’s Trident submarines and not open to the public.
It is understood that the man was an Iranian national, while the woman’s nationality was not immediately known. The incident is not being considered by the Ministry of Defence to be particularly serious at this stage.
The pair did not gain access to the base, and their request to enter immediately prompted concern. They were arrested after they remained nearby and were deemed to be acting suspiciously, according to the Sun.
Their motives are unknown and security sources said it was too soon to be certain it was an attempt at espionage, though there are heightened concerns about possible Iran-related threats in the UK.
Separately on Thursday, Nematollah Shahsavani, 40, an Iranian-British national, and Alireza Farasati, 22, an Iranian national, appeared in Westminster magistrates court accused of hostile surveillance of locations and individuals linked to the Jewish community in the London area.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy said: “Police Scotland have arrested two people who unsuccessfully attempted to enter HM Naval Base Clyde on Thursday 19 March. As the matter is subject to an ongoing investigation, we will not comment further.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said officers were made aware at about 5pm of two people trying to enter the base. “A 34-year-old man and 31-year-old woman have been arrested in connection and inquiries are ongoing.”
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