The British military were put on high alert last night after two "Asian men" attempted to kidnap a member of the armed forces at knife point. Police closed roads around RAF Marham after the incident which took place at 3:30pm yesterday.
Staff at the base have been warned not to wear anything that identifies them until the perpetrators are caught. The incident was reported in the local media as an attempted knife attack that left one serviceman unhurt.
However an airman at the base (who I have chosen not to name) gave more details in a message posted on social media. He said: "There has been an attempted kidnap on the service family accommodation estate at RAF Marham. I have just been informed by the Regimental orderly officer that all Station personnel are advised not to wear any clothing identifying them as military when off Station.
"Military Provost Guard Service will be conducting regular patrols of the service family accommodation. Please be vigilant and report anything suspicious activity to the guard room. Two Asian men tried to force service personnel into vehicle at knife point. Spread the word."
Another claimed the victim was out jogging when the men tried to force him to get into their Ford Galaxy people carrier.
Inspector Nathan Franklin spoke late last night outside the RAF base. He said: "The men threatened the victim with a knife before making off in a dark coloured car similar to a Ford Galaxy. The victim was unharmed, they are a serving serviceman, they were not in uniform at the time of this incident."
The incident is likely to cause concern among military top brass, who have been concerned about knife attacks on service personnel ever since the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013. He was beheaded by an Islamic extremist, who claimed to be avenging attacks on Muslim countries by UK armed forces.
The religion of the men in this case is not known.