The U.S. has pulled its remaining bomber aircraft from a major U.K. military base roughly a week after British police launched an investigation into a suspected terror plot targeting the facility. A spokesperson for the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) told Newsweek that all U.S. bombers sent to the British base of RAF Fairford earlier this year "have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States." The U.K.
Defense Ministry has not publicly commented. Roughly a dozen B-1 Lancers were thought to still be based at RAF Fairford in southwestern England after the U.K. government said Washington could use the American-run base for "defensive" strikes on Iran in early March. The U.S. military has also used RAF Fairford, with its long runway ideal for heavy bombers, as a staging point for operations in previous conflicts, like the Iraq War.
Observers said B-52 bombers deployed to the base had left the U.K. by early July. "The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities—including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States—anywhere, anytime," the EUCOM spokesperson said. The U.S. houses its B-52s at bases in Louisiana and North Dakota, while its B-1s are typically operated out of facilities in South Dakota and Texas.
Three American aircraft touched down in South Dakota on Sunday, unnamed U.S. officials told The New York Times. The U.S. military has not confirmed whether the decision was connected to a suspected planned attack near the base last month, which sparked the temporary evacuation of dozens of households and the deployment of military bomb experts. But U.S. officials say security is always weighed up when moving around assets like aircraft.
It's not clear if any other U.S. assets based permanently or temporarily in the UK have been redeployed. Five men were initially arrested on explosives and terror offenses and later released on bail after three suspicious vans were spotted near RAF Fairford on September 27. A sixth man, identified as a joint U.K.-Iranian national, was arrested by British police in London on Thursday before also being released on bail.
President Donald Trump, who previously said the U.S. had worked closely with British authorities in investigating the incident, questioned the decision to release the suspects on bail, adding: "I wouldn't have done that." U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham defended the move, saying they were subject to "strictest possible bail conditions." Burnham has also said there are "strong indications" of Iranian involvement. Tehran responded that the U.K. was "barking up the wrong tree" and its foreign ministry summoned the U.K. ambassador in the Iranian capital over the remarks.
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