Two men ‘tried to steal bicycle from car park of high-security spy base'
The pair, who later insisted they were on their way to a supermarket to get more booze for a party, were seized by armed police at
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The ring-shaped site, pictured above, in Cheltenham, Gloucs, is known as The Doughnut.
It is protected by guards, CCTV and razor wire-topped fences and is home to the country's top
Last night, one of the suspects told The Sun he had been nominated by pals to go to the local Asda for beers as he was the most sober.
He and his friend thought they could take a short cut through the car park.
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Painter and decorator Terry White, 47, said: 'As I told the cops, all I wanted to do was buy a few cans.
'It looked like a normal car park. There was a barrier, but it was raised and there were no warnings or signs. I'm born and bred in Cheltenham so I've always been aware of GCHQ.
'But I had no idea this car park was part of it.'
The dad of six went on: 'When we got to the other end, I was confronted by a huge metal fence, about three metres high.
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'We were thinking about climbing over it when suddenly a police car pulled up on the other side and an officer jumped out and shouted, 'Stop there!'.
'It was a really scary experience and not one I would ever want to go through again.'
Gloucestershire Police said two men were detained in a car park and a bag of tools found nearby at around 5pm on Friday, June 6.
FBI and GCHQ issue urgent warning over Chinese spy operation accessing people's messages, photos and location
The force added: 'It is believed they were attempting to steal a bike.
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'The two men, who are both in their 40s and from Cheltenham, were arrested on suspicion of going equipped to steal. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries.'
More than 5,000 people work at GCHQ to protect the country from cyber attacks and assist the security agencies MI5 and MI6 with encrypted messages.
1
The GCHQ spy base is protected by guards, CCTV and razor wire-topped fences and is home to the country's top codebreakers and cyber security experts
Credit: PA:Press Association
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The Irish Sun
10 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
My niece, 17, was excited to let her hair down and have fun with her boyfriend at Leeds Festival but she never came home
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RTÉ News
18 hours ago
- RTÉ News
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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
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The court heard he paid money to young paedophile Alex Williams for obscene material. He described a batch of depraved paedophile videos as 'amazing' – and replied 'go on' when offered pictures and videos of a boy later estimated to be aged between seven and nine. Advertisement Seven of the 41 images sent by Williams were of the worst Category A level. But Edwards was handed a suspended six-month jail sentence and ordered to undergo a sex treatment programme and rehabilitation sessions. He was also placed on the sex offenders register. The Sun has campaigned for paedophiles who hoard serious child abuse images to face automatic jail. Edwards, who has separated from producer wife Vicky – mum of his five children – has been spending time in his native Wales where he has family including his elderly mother. Advertisement 7 Edwards' mugshot was released after his sentencing last July Credit: PA 7 Edwards was sentenced to six months in prison suspended Credit: PA
