TWO men have been accused of trying to steal a bicycle from a car park — unaware it was part of a 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 GCHQ.
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 codebreakers and cyber security experts.
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.
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.
“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.
The force added: “It is believed they were attempting to steal a bike.
“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.
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