A Pentagon official told the BBC that US bombers at RAF Fairford, thought to be about a dozen B-1s, had returned to home stations after arrests near the Gloucestershire base.
The United States has withdrawn the bombers it had at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a Pentagon official confirmed to the BBC on Sunday. The aircraft, thought to be about a dozen B-1 Lancers, returned to home stations in the United States. The Pentagon did not give a reason.
The move followed a 27 September incident in which police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the base. The BBC said five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offences and later released on bail, and that a sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was also arrested and released on bail. Whitehall sources did not dispute that Washington's decision responded to the incident. The BBC was told the call was military and operational, and was passed from the US military to British counterparts. The Ministry of Defence did not comment.
The New York Times, citing two US officials, reported that all 12 B-1s were moved after commanders received new threat information about an Iran-backed plot, and that some aircraft left before refuelling support was fully in place. At least three had landed in South Dakota by Sunday, those officials said. European Command confirmed the bombers had left England and declined to comment on new warnings.
Its statement, quoted by the Times, said all US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford were redeploying to home stations. Prime Minister Andy Burnham had said there were strong indications Iran played a part in the earlier incident, the BBC reported, without further public detail.
Tracking sites showed B-1s leaving Fairford on Sunday. Investigators had not, in these accounts, brought charges. The confirmed fact on Monday morning is the completed departure of the deployed bombers.
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- Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were strong indications Iran played a part in the Fairford incident
- The Ministry of Defence did not comment on the withdrawal