US withdraws all B-1 bombers from UK air base after suspicious incident
The US has moved all B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford in Britain to bases in the United States following a suspicious incident at the site. The Pentagon confirmed the relocation but declined to give further details, citing operational security.
The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford in Britain, moving them to bases within the US. The Pentagon confirmed the move on Sunday, following earlier media reports about the aircraft being relocated.
The US defense department said all American bombers previously based at Fairford had been transferred to bases in the United States. It declined to elaborate further, stating that operational security prevented confirming troop and asset movements in real time.
What happened at the base
The previous Sunday, police were called to the base in southwest England after a local farmer reported a group of men with several vans engaged in suspicious activity nearby. Over fears of a possible threat near the base — which the US has used to launch strikes on Iran — 85 homes in the area were evacuated.
Speculation about the motive behind the incident ranged from a terror threat to fuel theft, as energy prices in Britain had hit record highs. Investigators said no explosives were found in the vans, but petrol was discovered instead, according to Laurence Taylor, head of the National Counter Terrorism Policing network.
Five British citizens from London, all in their twenties, were arrested in connection with the incident and later released on bail — a decision criticized by the United States. The Iranian embassy in London said it firmly rejected and condemned speculation linking Tehran to the incident.
Fairford is the only air base on mainland Britain used by the US for operations related to Iran; London granted Washington permission to use it for that purpose in March. Security at the base has reportedly been stepped up since the incident.
