- Security forces discovered a woman and her alleged assailant, who are both civilians with no military affiliation, on Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada.
- The base acknowledged that sentries didn't follow proper procedures at the base's entry, and an unconfirmed report suggests the pair drove right onto the base without stopping at the sentry post.
- The Las Vegas Metro Police are investigating the kidnapping and sexual assault allegations.
Around 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, two airmen at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada reported they had been approached by a woman claiming she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. When security forces responded to the victim, she gave a description of the alleged assailant's vehicle, according to Rebekah Mattes, a spokeswoman for the base.
The vehicle - and the alleged assailant - were located in a parking lot of the base's dining facility. Security forces discovered both the woman and her alleged assailant are civilians with no military affiliation and handed both individuals over to the Las Vegas Metro Police, Mattes said, in a strange breach of a military base's access.
Details of the incident first started to emerge on Air Force amn/nco/snco, a popular yet unofficial Facebook page. The original post, which included a video that was viewed some 83,000 times and garnered 300 comments, included unconfirmed details and alleged that the assailant was Russian. The post also stated that the alleged victim had a Russian accent.
Mattes told Business Insider both individuals are US citizens.
Later, the Facebook page was updated with the leaked operational report from base security forces and offers unconfirmed details about the breach.
"The vehicle did not stop to have their credentials checked [at the main gate]. The [security force] sentry failed to stop the vehicle or initiate gate runner procedures which allowed the vehicle to successfully breach the installation," the post says. It also says the gate guard did not inform the other sentries on duty that the breach occurred.
Mattes could not confirm the details, but she did confirm an operational report had been leaked. She did disclose preliminary findings of the initial investigation.
"Both individuals entered the base together at 4:25 a.m." Mattes wrote in an email. "Proper entry procedures were not followed." The gate guards on watch at the time of the breach have been placed on administrative duties until the investigation is complete.
"The 99th Air Base Wing takes installation security very seriously and is looking into the matter and examining what processes may need to change to further bolster security," Mattes wrote in an emailed statement.
The Las Vegas Metro Police are investigating the kidnapping and sexual assault allegations, and did not respond to requests for comment.