The attempted abduction of an RAF serviceman outside a Norfolk military base could have been the result of road rage, police have said.

Detective Superintendent Paul Durham revealed there were 'good reasons' to believe the incident near RAF Marham was unrelated to terrorism.

He explained that the £71,000 investigation had so far established that 'something definitely happened' to the victim while he was out running.

But he added that officers were still unsure of the motive, and were revisiting the possibility of robbery and road rage.

Back in July a major search was launched after the 20-year-old serviceman was ambushed by two men and dragged towards a dark-coloured people carrier.

Despite one of the attackers being armed with a knife, he managed to fight them off and escape.

Det Sup Durham, from the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team (MIT), said 'The work the team has carried out over the last five months has been very productive – particularly in identifying the most important drivers of the vehicles seen in the CCTV footage we released.

'Whilst I continue to maintain an open mind, the enquiries completed so far lead me to believe that the motive for this attack is quite possibly unrelated to terrorism.'

He said the primary task was to now establish the motivation behind the attack.

'Certainly, I am becoming increasingly persuaded that the solution to this mystery will be found locally,' he added.

'I'm conscious while the case isn't in the spotlight the public will question our progress but I'm very happy with what the team has achieved, given the challenging circumstances of the incident.'

Det Sup Durham said officers had analysed more than 500 calls from the public and reviewed hours of CCTV.

More than a dozen officers are also said to still be working on the investigation.

'What has been established through the pain-staking CCTV work is that something definitely happened to the victim whilst he was out on his run in the area where he reported being attacked,' he said.

'I remain confident this case will be solved.'