Home · World · Oct 5 archive
US Air Force Withdraws Bombers from RAF Fairford After Suspected Terror Threat
Confirmed
In Short: The US Air Force's decision to withdraw its bombers from RAF Fairford underscores the heightened security concerns following the suspected terror threat.
The US Air Force has withdrawn all bombers from RAF Fairford, a British air base used to strike Iran, after a security incident in late September.
According to a Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the bombers were redeployed back to their home bases in the United States.
Aviation watchers noted that dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers had been operating out of RAF Fairford since the start of the conflict with Iran.
RAF Fairford, located 100 miles west of London, has a long history of hosting American bombers during Middle Eastern conflicts.
A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, following a security incident at RAF Fairford.
British authorities linked the incident to Tehran, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were 'strong indications' that Iran had played a part.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the incident 'clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor,' while President Donald Trump expressed surprise at the release of the five men on bail.
The US did not provide a reason for the withdrawal, but it followed a major incident on September 27 when police were alerted to three 'suspicious vehicles' near the base.
Initially, five men aged between 23 and 25 were arrested and later released on bail, with police calling it an 'investigative decision' grounded in experience and strategy.
The Iranian Embassy in London denied any involvement, stating that the regime 'categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations' linking Iran to the incident.
The US Air Force's decision to withdraw its bombers from RAF Fairford underscores the heightened security concerns following the suspected terror threat.
The incident highlights the complex geopolitical tensions between the US, Iran, and the UK, as well as the potential risks associated with military bases in allied countries.
What's confirmed
- The bombers were redeployed back to their home bases in the United States, according to a Pentagon official who was not authorized to discuss sensitive military movements and spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity.
- Aviation watchers such as the Military Air Tracking Alliance have observed dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers operating out of RAF Fairford since the opening days of the Iran war.
- “We have decisions that I’ll make about Iran. Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is — it’ll either be the easy way, or the hard way,” Trump told reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio.
- RAF Fairford, located 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.
- WASHINGTON: The US Air Force has brought home its bombers stationed at a US-run military air base in England used to strike Iran following an investigation into a planned terror attack at the RAF Fairford base.
- Observers noticed a host of B-1 bombers fly out of the base on Sunday.
- A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, following a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September.
- British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran.
What's still developing
- The BBC has also been told it was a military rather than a political decision - taken at an operational level - and communicated from the US military to its British counterparts.
- Tracking websites showed B-1 bombers flying out of RAF Fairford on Sunday.
- Initially, five men aged between 23 and 25 were arrested in the early hours of the morning after vehicles were reported to be travelling towards the base operated by the US Air Force (USAF).
- In July, Iran said "any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces".
- "We know everything about them, we would not have released them," he said, adding that the UK had worked with the US "very closely" on this.
- A statement from a US department official confirmed on Sunday it had removed its bombers - thought to be about a dozen B-1s - from the base back to their home stations in America.