The United States said Sunday that it had removed all of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain following an alleged terror plot disrupted near the base last week that authorities suspect may have been linked to Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the aircraft, which were used among other missions for strikes on Iran during the war, were withdrawn because of security concerns surrounding the base.
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A B-1 bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in Britain for a strike on Iran during the war
(Photo: Henry NICHOLLS / AFP)
About a dozen B-1 bombers had been stationed at Fairford, northwest of London. Their removal could signal a change in how Washington intends to use the base, which Iran threatened to attack in July.
The aircraft have returned to bases in the United States, though the Pentagon stressed Sunday that they remain capable of providing a ‘global strike capability’ from US territory.
‘While operational security considerations prevented us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real time, we can now confirm that all US bombers deployed at Fairford have been redeployed to their home bases in the United States,’ the Pentagon said.
The vehicles of the suspects arrested outside the base. Gasoline was found inside, but no explosives
The unusual incident outside the base began early Sunday morning last week, when British police received a report of three suspicious vehicles traveling toward Fairford. Armed officers detained five British citizens in their 20s, all London residents, initially on suspicion of explosives-related offenses and later on suspicion of preparing an act of terrorism. Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated and large police forces were deployed to the area.
The investigation later took an unexpected turn when police said no explosives had been found in the three vans, only gasoline. It was subsequently revealed that one of the suspects had called emergency services shortly before the arrests, adding further uncertainty over what had occurred.
All five suspects were released on bail under restrictive conditions, though police said they remain under investigation.
A sixth suspect, a young London resident with British-Iranian citizenship, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of planning terrorist acts. He was also released on bail several days later.
The five suspects arrested outside the base. All have since been released, as has the sixth suspect, a British-Iranian national
(Photo: X )
The suspects’ alleged plan remains unclear, but The Wall Street Journal reported that US officials had been aware of an Iran-linked plot to kill personnel at the base and damage the bombers stationed there.
A senior US official told the newspaper that a unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had recruited British citizens to carry out the attack, which allegedly involved several stages, including creating a diversion in a nearby area.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were ‘strong indications’ that Iran was involved in the incident, though the reported details of the alleged plot have not been officially confirmed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said in an interview published Saturday by the Daily Mail that Israel had provided intelligence to Britain before the alleged attack was disrupted.