US withdraws bombers from UK base over suspected terror plot
The US Air Force rapidly pulled its B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford in England following an investigation into a suspected terror attack plot at the base, with British authorities linking the incident to Iran, which denies involvement.
The US Air Force has withdrawn all of its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, after an investigation into an alleged plot to carry out a terror attack at the base. A Pentagon official, speaking anonymously as they were not authorized to discuss military movements, confirmed the aircraft were sent back to their home bases in the United States on Sunday.
A Pentagon spokesperson said that while operational security had prevented confirming the movement in real time, officials could now acknowledge that all US bombers deployed to Fairford had returned to their home stations.
A hasty departure
At least 10 of the 12 B-1 bombers stationed at the base left within a single day, including aircraft that had arrived only about a week earlier as part of a routine rotation. The speed of the withdrawal points to how seriously US officials assessed the threat. The UK Ministry of Defence has not yet commented, though the pace of the pullout is likely to add to concerns among residents near the base.
According to US media reports, the withdrawal was prompted by fresh or renewed security warnings. The New York Times reported that American officials declined to detail the exact nature of the new information, but that it was linked to threat warnings that first emerged three weeks earlier, with urgency escalating sharply in the past day.
Iran link
A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting an attack, following a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. Six people in total have been arrested and later released on bail as the investigation continues. British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran, which has denied any involvement.
RAF Fairford, located about 100 miles west of London, has served as a base for American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East. Its recent use followed permission granted by then-prime minister Keir Starmer for Washington to use British bases for "defensive" strikes against Iran. Separately, the US is sending additional naval forces toward the Middle East, including the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier group, with officials saying as many as three carriers could be in the region by the end of October.
