U.S. Moves All Bomber Aircraft From RAF Fairford Back to Permanent Bases

London (Terror Monitor) — The United States has moved all of its bomber aircraft from Britain’s RAF Fairford back to their permanent bases in the United States, a U.S. official confirmed Sunday.

Washington has not given a reason for the withdrawal, but the move comes days after a major security incident near the Gloucestershire airbase on September 27, when police responded to reports of three suspicious vehicles near the facility.

Five people were initially arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses and were later released on police bail. A sixth person, a British-Iranian national, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and was also released on bail.

U.S. officials have not ruled out a connection between the withdrawal and the incident. The decision was described as a military, rather than political, move made at the operational level by the U.S. military, with British counterparts informed of the decision.

British authorities have not publicly commented on the withdrawal.

The incident has also raised questions over possible Iranian involvement. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “clear indications” of an Iranian connection, while Tehran has strongly denied any involvement.

The first five suspects, all British nationals from London aged between 23 and 25, were arrested in the early hours after police received reports that vehicles were heading toward the U.S.-operated airbase. They were initially detained on suspicion of explosives-related offenses and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act before being released on bail.

The sixth suspect, a 25-year-old British-Iranian man, was arrested in London on Thursday and later released on bail.

RAF Fairford has served for decades as a forward operating base for the U.S. Air Force. In recent months, American bombers have operated from the base on missions toward the Middle East after Britain approved a U.S. request to use the facility for defensive operations against Iran.

In July, Iran warned that any base used for attacks against Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate target.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier said there was “clearly a foreign actor” involved in the Fairford case, but declined to provide further details.