The United States has withdrawn its bombers from the British RAF Fairford base following an investigation into an alleged terrorist attack on the site, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed on Sunday. All US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have been returned to their home bases in the United States, the spokesperson said.
According to a Pentagon official speaking on condition of anonymity on Sunday, at least 10 of the 12 B-1 bombers left Fairford on Sunday. Some of those bombers had arrived for rotation less than a week before the withdrawal. The British Ministry of Defence did not immediately comment on the move.
US media report that the withdrawal appears to be a response to new or renewed security concerns at the base. The New York Times reported that US officials on Sunday declined to specify the nature of the new information that prompted the rapid withdrawal of air forces. One US official said the new information was part of the same security warnings that emerged three weeks ago, but that specific details and a sense of urgency had intensified in the last 24 hours.
A person with dual British-Iranian citizenship was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. The arrest followed a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. During the investigation, a total of six people were detained and subsequently released on bail. British authorities linked the incident to Tehran, while Iran denies any involvement.
RAF Fairford is located 100 miles (160 kilometres) west of London. The base has been used by US bombers for decades during conflicts in the Middle East, and its use in recent months followed then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer granting Washington permission to use British bases for "defensive" strikes against Tehran.
The US military continues to maintain a significant presence in the Middle East. On Thursday, a US official stated that the recently deployed aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, along with the amphibious ready group USS Makin Island, are heading to the region. That group of ships is transporting more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 marines. According to officials, the move could result in three aircraft carriers being in the region by late October.
