The Ministry of Defence have confirmed that three Libyan men training at Bassingbourn Barracks have been charged in connection with a series of sexual assaults on women in Cambridge on Sunday.

Khaled El Azibi, 18, Ibrahim Naji El Maarfi, 20 and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 27, are accused of three serious sexual assaults which are alleged to have taken place at about 2am.

Mr El Azibi has been charged with two counts of sexual assault.

Mr Naji El Maarfi has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of exposure.

Mr Abdalsalam has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of the use of threatening behaviour towards a police officer.

The three men have been remanded in custody after appearing at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesman for the British Army said: “We can confirm that three Libyan soldiers undergoing training at Bassingbourn Camp have been charged with offences relating to incidents in Cambridge.

“This is a matter for the civilian police and it would not be appropriate to comment any further at this stage. We have a close working relationship with the Cambridgeshire Police and will continue to assist them in any enquiries”.

Det Insp Sarah Smith said: “I would urge anyone who has any information about this incident or the men responsible to contact police. We are treating this extremely seriously and have a team of officers working on the case. As a precaution patrols have been increased in the city centre.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101.