US withdraws all bombers from RAF Fairford after terror investigation
The United States has pulled all its bombers from RAF Fairford in the UK following an incident now under counter-terror investigation. The move came after suspicious vehicles were spotted near the base in late September.
US military officials confirmed on Sunday that all bombers — believed to number around a dozen B-1s — have been relocated from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire back to their home bases in the United States. No official reason was given for the withdrawal, but it follows an incident on 27 September when police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the airbase.
Six people were arrested in connection with the incident on suspicion of terrorism-related offences. Five of them — UK nationals aged between 23 and 25 from London — were arrested and later released on bail. A sixth man, who holds both UK and Iranian nationality, was arrested later and also released on bail.
UK government sources have not disputed that Washington's decision was linked to the base incident, and the BBC was told it was a military rather than political decision, made at an operational level and communicated from US to British military counterparts. The UK Ministry of Defence has declined to comment, though tracking websites recorded B-1 bombers departing the base on Sunday.
Days after the incident, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" of Iranian involvement but offered no further detail. Tehran has strongly denied any role. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident "clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor," while President Donald Trump expressed surprise that the five men had been released on bail, saying the UK and US had worked closely together on the matter.
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating base for the US Air Force for decades. In recent months it has been used to launch B-1 and B-52 bomber missions toward the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use the base for defensive strikes on Iran. In July, Iran stated that any base used for aggression against its territory would be considered a legitimate target.
