America Withdraws Its B-1 Strategic Bombers from British Fairford Base

A Pentagon official stated that the United States has withdrawn its "B-1" bombers from a British airbase after a week of several men being arrested there on suspicion of planning terrorist acts.

Twelve "B-1" bombers were stationed at the "RAF Fairford" airbase, located northwest of London. These aircraft had been used in American raids on Iran.

A Pentagon spokesperson wrote in a statement: "Although operational security considerations prevented us from confirming the movements of our assets and forces at the time, we can now acknowledge that all U.S. bombers that were at RAF Fairford have been redeployed to their original bases in the United States."

He added that the U.S. bombers remain ready to carry out strikes from U.S. territory.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated on Wednesday that Britain has "strong indications" of Iran's involvement in a plot suspected to target the base, but there was a cloud of ambiguity surrounding the matter after British authorities released the suspects on bail while investigations continue.

Iran described the accusations linking it to the alleged plan as "baseless," and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran regarding this issue.

The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials said the United States withdrew all of its B-1 strategic bombers from the Royal Air Force base at Fairford due to security concerns related to "terrorist plots" suspected of targeting the base.

The U.S. decision came after the arrest of six suspects linked to an attack believed to have targeted the base, and U.S. and British officials said it was thwarted last Sunday.

Reports indicated that U.S. officials were aware of a plot linked to Iran to target the bombers and kill personnel at the base.

According to a senior U.S. official, one branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard recruited British citizens to carry out the plot, which included several phases, including executing a diversion in the area surrounding the base.

British police interrogated five men on Monday on suspicion of committing crimes related to "explosives and terrorism" after they were arrested near a U.S. military base.

British authorities are still trying to determine the circumstances of what happened, while some British officials are questioning the complexity of the attack that was allegedly being planned.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier stated that the suspects who were arrested intended to cause significant damage to the base and that they were under investigation. He also criticized the British authorities' decision to release them on bail, saying, "I wouldn't have released them."

Five of the suspects traveled to Fairford last Sunday in three white trucks, which British police said did not contain explosives but were carrying quantities of fuel. The men were arrested after one member of the group contacted the police and informed them of the plan. A sixth man, holding both British and Iranian citizenship, was arrested days later on suspicion of planning a terrorist act, before also being released on bail.

Fairford base has a long runway and has been widely used by the United States to launch B-1 and B-52 bombers against Iran, as the base reduces the distance that U.S. bombers need to travel compared to launching from U.S. territory. As the war continues, some B-52 bombers and some B-1 aircraft have returned to the United States, while about 12 B-1 bombers remain at the base.

The presence of the American military in Fairford is causing political controversy within Britain. The British government initially rejected allowing the United States to launch sorties from the base against Iran, before later agreeing to use it for "defensive" missions following Iranian attacks on British allies and interests in the Middle East.

Following the thwarting of the suspected attack, British defense officials stated that military base protection measures should be strengthened, especially against drone attacks.

American fighter jets of the F-35 and F-15E models are stationed at the "Lakenheath" base in eastern Britain, where security alert levels have been raised, while the United States has deployed refueling aircraft at the nearby "Mildenhall" base.

Flight tracking devices detected B-1 bombers leaving Fairford base over the weekend.

Iran denied involvement in any plot to target Fairford base, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned in July that any British bases used by the United States to launch attacks on Iran would be "a legitimate target for our forces."