RAF Marham abduction attempt: Police release e-fits of men who attacked serviceman

The 'degree of planning' makes it likely there was at least one other person involved in the attack, officers say

The pair are thought to have threatened the serviceman - who was not in uniform - with a knife but made off when he punched one of them
The pair are thought to have threatened the serviceman - who was not in uniform - with a knife but made off when he punched one of them

E-fit images of the two men suspected of trying to abuduct an RAF serviceman in Norfolk have been released by police.

One week after the attack at the Marham airbase, officers have pieced together descriptions of the pair in the hope of tracing them.

An RAF serviceman, who was not wearing his uniform, was out jogging in the afternoon on 20 July when two men grabbed him by the wrist, threatened him with a knife and tried to pull him towards a dark coloured people-carrier.

He escaped by punching and headbutting them, leading Norfolk Constabulary to speculate at least one attacker may have facial injuries.

The pair are described as of Middle Eastern origin in appearance and each was aged between 20 and 30.

The first seemed slightly older, about 6ft and of athletic but stocky build, with dark hair which was long on top. He had a well-groomed beard and wore causal clothing.

The second man seemed slightly younger and was of a slimmer build. He was about 5ft 10, clean shaven with short dark hair and wore a white t-shirt and dark shorts.

Detective Superintendent Paul Durham is leading the inquiry alongside officers at the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. Police have said they are "unable to discount terrorism" as the motive for the attack.

"Today we have released e-fit images of the two suspects seen by the victim during the incident and I would urge anyone who recognises either man to come forward and call police immediately," said Detective Superintendent Durham in a statement.

While the serviceman only saw two people during the incident, the "degree of planning involved" means there may have been at least one other person in the vehicle, police said.

Detective Superintendent Durham added: "We know that our victim is a member of RAF personnel and we are still investigating how much relevance this was to his attempted abduction."

Police have urged anyone who recognises either of the suspects or has information regarding their whereabouts to call 101 or the hotlines on 0800 056 0154 or 0207 158 0011. They have warned the public not to approach the men but to immediately call 999 if they are sighted.

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