The United States has pulled all of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom following a suspected terrorist threat against the facility.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the withdrawal to Reuters, saying all bombers deployed to the base had returned to their home stations in the United States.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” the spokesperson said.
The rushed withdrawal included at least 12 aircraft, among them several that had only recently arrived at the base as part of a scheduled rotation, according to two Pentagon officials who spoke to NBC News.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the aircraft were removed due to security concerns stemming from suspected terror plots directed at the facility.
RAF Fairford had been used by American bombers to conduct strikes against Iranian missile sites targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with the British government’s approval.
Five men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terror offenses near the base, though police found no explosives, only a quantity of gasoline in three vans linked to the suspects.
The five men have since been released on bail, while British police separately arrested a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national in London on suspicion of plotting an attack against the same air base.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that Britain has “strong indications” that Iran was involved in the suspected plot, a claim Tehran called baseless, with Iran summoning the British ambassador in response.
President Donald Trump said those involved had planned “big damage,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed to the “hands of a foreign actor” as being behind the alleged scheme.
Tehran had previously warned in July that any base used for aggression against Iranian territory would constitute a legitimate target, heightening fears of retaliatory strikes across Europe.
The incident marks a significant escalation in tensions tied to the ongoing conflict, which began on February 28 and has now stretched beyond seven months with no resolution in sight.
