Shots fired at US base in England after ‘car drives into gate’

US military personnel opened fire on a man as he allegedly attempted to break into an RAF base in Suffolk, England

British police arrested a man at a US air base in eastern England on Monday after a car apparently drove into a checkpoint gate, prompting military personnel to open fire, various sources said.

FILE - This is a Jan. 8, 2015 file photo of U.S.Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk Eastern England. British police said Monday dec. 18, 2017 that they are responding to a "significant" incident at a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. Air Force. (AP)

RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, home to the 100th air refuelling wing, was briefly locked down over the incident before reopening, a spokesman for the base said.

Local police said they were called at around 1.40pm (1340 GMT) to reports of a “disturbance”, saying: “The base was put into lockdown and units responded immediately.

“Shots were fired by American service personnel and a man has been detained with cuts and bruises and taken into custody.

“No other people have been injured as a result of the incident.”

A government source said that a car had tried to force its way through a checkpoint at the base.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We are aware of an incident at the entry point of RAF Mildenhall.”

Mildenhall said on its website: “RAF Mildenhall locked down at 1pm (1300 GMT) today following reports of a disturbance on base.”

The spokesman said the base was reopened at 1435 GMT.