NEW: U.S. To Remove From U.K. Base Due To Terror Threat
The United States completed the redeployment of all 12 B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, over the weekend. The relocation comes just over a week after a suspected terrorist incident targeting the base, which officials from both countries have described as having Iranian involvement.
“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 re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” the Pentagon confirmed in a statement. All U.S. bombers, crew members and their families will operate out of U.S. airbases until further notice.
At least three of the aircraft had arrived at a base in South Dakota by Sunday, according to unnamed U.S. officials who spoke with the New York Times. Some departures occurred while aerial refueling support was still being arranged.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, linked the timing to threat information concerning an Iran-backed plot against the installation. One official told The New York Times that the information formed part of warnings that had surfaced three weeks earlier, but that specific details and a sense of urgency increased in the preceding 24 hours.
POLL: Do You Approve Of Secretary Of War Pete Hegseth?
BREAKING: The US Air Force has removed all of its bombers from RAF Fairford, the Pentagon has said.
Sky’s @jonathansamuels reads the US Air force statementhttps://t.co/sNNPvIqlRs pic.twitter.com/nfGfyNErkd
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 4, 2026
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for U.S. heavy bombers used in strikes related to the conflict with Iran that began in February 2026. A Pentagon official noted that U.S. bomber crews remain able to conduct operations launched from the continental United States.
The withdrawal followed events on September 27, when police responded to reports of three suspicious vehicles near the base. Five British nationals, aged 23 to 25 and from the London area, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and preparation of terrorist acts.
Counter Terrorism Policing later stated that examination of the vehicles, supported by military and forensic experts, found no improvised explosive devices, though a quantity of fuel was recovered. The five men were released on bail subject to conditions restricting movement and contact, and they remain under investigation.
On October 2, a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national was arrested in London on suspiscion of preparation of terrorist acts under the Terrorism Act 2006. He was also released on bail. Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor of Counter Terrorism Policing said investigators were examining multiple lines of inquiry, including possible foreign-state involvement through proxies.
President Donald Trump criticized the decision to release the initial suspects. “I’m surprised that they released them. I wouldn’t have done that,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on September 28.
“We know everything about them. We would not have released them,” he added. Trump indicated the incident “might be” linked to Iran but declined to provide further specifics at the time.
RELATED: Middle East Exports Rebound As Iran’s Chokehold On Strait Of Hormuz Falters