Stützpunkt RAF Fairford: US-Bomber aus Großbritannien abgezogen - wegen Bedrohung?

In response to reports of US long-range bombers being withdrawn from RAF Fairford, a UK military base in Britain, US President Donald Trump has refuted claims made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Pentagon. The president stated in Washington that there had been threats, although he did not provide further details. "Why should we keep the bombers there?

So we moved them a little, not very far," Trump added. When asked by a journalist about the source of the threat, he suggested it might be linked to Iran. The Pentagon, however, confirmed that all its long-range bombers had been recalled from RAF Fairford. "We can now confirm that all US bombers stationed at the base have returned to their home bases in the United States," a Pentagon official said.

For operational security reasons, the Ministry of Defense was unable to comment on the movements of its resources and forces in real time. The British government responded through a spokesperson, who noted that the base was secure, citing Defense Secretary Wes Streeting's assertion that there were "proven and tested procedures to protect our bases across the country and worldwide."

The spokesperson also emphasized that military operations of other states would not be commented upon. Trump and Rubio had conflicting interpretations of the events, with Rubio suggesting that the withdrawal was not directly related to alleged terror threats. "I would not directly associate the withdrawal with the decision to relocate," Rubio told journalists.

The spokesperson clarified that the relocation was "nothing unusual." "We have documented what happened last week," he added. The threat was reportedly the reason for the focus on relocating the aircraft. "However, it is not unusual for rotations to take place and military resources to be moved to different parts of the world," he continued.

"I still have confidence in the British security measures at the bases in general." New threat information from the "New York Times" suggested that the reason for the surprising withdrawal was new threats against the military base. According to the newspaper, citing two US officials, there were reports of a threat from Iran to attack the base.

The US forces had moved additional long-range bombers to Britain in March to be more flexible in the war against Iran. The need for the relocation of the bombers away from RAF Fairford was deemed urgent, so some aircraft and crews had already taken off before the required refueling aircraft could be prepared over the Atlantic, according to a Pentagon official.

The information was part of the warnings issued three weeks earlier, but the situation had intensified in the past 24 hours due to specific details. Five men were suspected of preparing a terrorist attack near the base, were arrested, and were later released under strict conditions for preparing terrorist acts. One sixth suspect of Iranian-British nationality was also briefly detained and then released with conditions.