The United States has withdrawn all of its bombers deployed to RAF Fairford and returned them to bases in America as British counter-terrorism police continue investigating suspicious activity near the Gloucestershire airbase.
The US Air Force confirmed on Sunday that the aircraft had now left Fairford, which has played an important role in recent American military operations involving Iran. Reports indicate around a dozen B-1 bombers had been based there.
The US Air Force said: “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 redeployed to their home stations in the United States.”
Washington has not publicly confirmed that the bombers were withdrawn because an attack was considered imminent, and the timing of the redeployment has not been fully disclosed.
Six arrested during RAF Fairford investigation
The development comes a week after five British men in their 20s were arrested following an incident close to RAF Fairford on September 27.
They were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives and terrorism offences before being released on police bail while the investigation continued.
A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian national, was subsequently arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
He has also since been released on bail.
Counter Terrorism Policing has confirmed that another British man was questioned under caution but was not arrested.
No charges have been announced against any of those arrested.
Petrol found but no explosives discovered
The original security operation centred on three suspicious vans close to the military base.
Police recovered a quantity of petrol from the vehicles, but investigators said no explosive devices were found.
The incident resulted in a major emergency response around Whelford, including the evacuation of dozens of homes and the deployment of specialist teams.
Police examine possible foreign-state involvement
Counter-terrorism detectives have confirmed that possible involvement by a foreign state is among the lines of enquiry being examined.
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans described the investigation as “hugely complex”.
She said: “As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.” Counter Terrorism Policing
Iran has been publicly linked to speculation surrounding the investigation, but British counter-terrorism police have not established publicly that Iran directed the suspected activity. Tehran has denied involvement. RAF Fairford’s strategic importance
RAF Fairford is regularly used by the United States for long-range bomber deployments and has supported recent US operations involving Iran.
The US Air Force stressed that returning the aircraft to America does not prevent its bomber force from conducting long-range operations.
It said crews operating B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers remained capable of launching missions from the continental United States “anywhere, anytime”.
The withdrawal does not amount to a wider US military departure from Britain, and the investigation into what happened near RAF Fairford remains ongoing.
