US withdraws all B-1 bombers from British military base RAF Fairford
The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that all US B-1 bombers deployed to Britain’s RAF Fairford had returned home following a security incident that prompted nearby evacuations. Police found no explosives after reports of suspicious activity at the base last Sunday. Five London-based British men arrested were subsequently released on bail.
The US has withdrawn all its B-1 bombers from the British military base RAF Fairford. According to the Pentagon, the bombers have returned to their home stations in the US. The withdrawal comes after a security incident at the base, which prompted nearby evacuations and the arrest of six men.
The incident occurred on September 27, when police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the airbase in Gloucestershire. Five men, aged between 23 and 25, were arrested and later released on bail. A sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was also arrested and released on bail, according to BBC News.
The UK's Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were strong indications that Iran had played a part in the incident, but Tehran has strongly denied any involvement. The US Defense Department stated that the aircraft's return does not eliminate its ability to carry out long-range strike missions.
Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, BBC News, Jerusalem Post, PBS NewsHour, MercoPress — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- US Air Force removes all bombers from British air base targeted by a suspected terror attack winnipegfreepress.com
- US Air Force removes all bombers from UK airbase targeted by suspected terror attack scmp.com
- AP report: U.S. Air Force removes all bombers from British air base targeted by a suspected terror attack pbs.org
- US removes all Air Force bombers from RAF Fairford news.sky.com
