US withdraws all bombers from UK base amid investigation into suspected terror plot
The United States has withdrawn all of its bombers from RAF Fairford in England, a base used for strikes on Iran, as British counterterrorism police investigate a suspected plot targeting the facility.
The aircraft, believed to include about a dozen B-1 bombers, were flown back to their home bases in the United States on Sunday, the BBC and Associated Press reported.
The Pentagon has not publicly given a reason for the withdrawal. However, Whitehall sources did not dispute to the BBC that the decision was made in response to a security incident at RAF Fairford on Sept. 27. The BBC reported that it was an operational military decision rather than a political one.
The New York Times, cited by the BBC, reported that U.S. commanders had received new information about a suspected Iran-backed plot targeting the base. The intelligence was reportedly connected to earlier threat warnings, but more specific details emerged within the previous 24 hours.
Six people have been arrested during the investigation, including a dual British-Iranian national. All have since been released on bail. Iran has denied involvement.
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force and has recently been used by American B-1 and B-52 bombers during operations against Iran. Some of the B-1s operating from Britain carried precision-guided bunker-busting bombs and air-to-surface missiles for strikes against heavily defended targets.
Iran said in July that any base used for attacks on Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate military target.
Despite the withdrawal, the Pentagon said U.S. bombers remain capable of conducting missions "anywhere, anytime," including directly from bases in the continental United States.