Did RAF base kidnap duo belong to a team?

RAF Marham in Norfolk (Chris Radburn/PA)

Two people involved in the attempted kidnap of an airman are likely to have been part of a bigger team.

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 tried to drag him towards a nearby car.

He knocked the first attacker to the ground and 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”.

Police have appealed for witnesses to help track down two “Middle Eastern” men, and on the fourth day of their investigation said there might have been more people in the car than the two seen by the victim.

Senior investigating officer Paul Durham encouraged anyone who might have seen the dark people carrier to come forward.

He said: “While the victim only witnessed two attackers, there may have been more than two people in the vehicle and, given the nature of the attack, it is likely they were part of a larger team.

“This is important because I do not want to deter any potential witnesses from coming forward. It is the vehicle we are interested in, regardless of the number of people seen inside.”

Police, who have now lifted a cordon at the attempted abduction scene, have also appealed to drivers to look at their dash cam footage in case they come across any useful information.

Police are keen to trace the two men, the people carrier and also the “military-style” knife, with a two-and-a-half to three-inch blade.

Military bases have been on high alert since the incident although the threat from terrorism has not changed.

Marham is the home base of Tornados bombing the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq from a base in Cyprus.

Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray have also hit IS targets.

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