US removes all bombers from RAF Fairford base

On October 5, the United States has withdrawn all of its bombers from RAF Fairford, a British military base in Gloucestershire, following an incident that has been under investigation by counter terror police. A US department official confirmed the withdrawal of all US bombers from the base back to their home stations in America.

The reason for the withdrawal was not disclosed by the US, but it comes after a major incident on September 27 when police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the airbase. Five UK nationals, all between 23 and 25 years old, were initially arrested on suspicion of terror offences and later released on bail. A sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was also arrested but later released on bail.

Whitehall sources confirmed that the decision to withdraw the bombers was in response to the incident at RAF Fairford. The UK Ministry of Defence has not commented on the matter. The incident initially led Prime Minister Andy Burnham to suggest strong indications that Iran had played a role, although Iran has denied involvement.

The US Air Force had been using RAF Fairford as a forward operating location for decades, with US bombers recently taking off for the Middle East following a request from the UK to participate in defensive strikes on Iran.