US Air Force pulls B-1 bombers from UK base after security threat intensifies
The aircraft were redeployed to their home bases in the United States, a Pentagon official said on Sunday
The US Air Force has withdrawn its bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain following an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the military base.
The aircraft were redeployed to their home bases in the United States, a Pentagon official said on Sunday, according to The Guardian.
At least 10 of 12 B-1 bombers reportedly left the Gloucestershire base, including aircraft that had arrived less than a week earlier.
A Pentagon spokesperson 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.”
The New York Times reported that fresh information about the security threat prompted the rapid withdrawal.
“One US official said the new information was part of the same threat warnings that surfaced three weeks ago, but specific details and a sense of urgency spiked in the past 24 hours, alarming commanders,” the newspaper reported.
The move follows the arrest last week of a dual British-Iranian national in London on suspicion of plotting a attack after a security incident at RAF Fairford in September.
Six people have been arrested and released on bail during the investigation.
