US Withdraws All B-1 Bombers from RAF Fairford Amid UK Security Scare

The Pentagon has confirmed the withdrawal of all United States B-1 bomber aircraft from Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in the United Kingdom, following a security scare that prompted nearby evacuations.

A Pentagon statement confirmed that all US bombers deployed to the Gloucestershire airbase have returned to their home stations in the United States, noting that operational security requirements precluded the real-time confirmation of asset movements.

The withdrawal follows a suspicious incident last Sunday, when a local farmer reported a group of men with several vans engaging in suspicious activity near the base. The scare forced the evacuation of 85 homes in the vicinity of the airbase, which has been used to launch strikes on Iran.

Speculation regarding the motives behind the incident ranged from a terror threat to fuel theft, especially as energy prices in the UK reached record highs. Investigators searching the vans did not find explosives, but instead recovered “a quantity of petrol,” according to National Counter Terrorism Policing head Lawrence Taylor.

The five London-based Britons arrested in connection with the incident, all men in their mid-20s, were subsequently released on bail, a decision that drew a rebuke from Washington.

“I wouldn’t have done that,” US President Donald Trump told reporters, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged that a “foreign actor” was involved in the events.

Iran’s embassy in London has stated that it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” any speculation suggesting Tehran’s involvement in the incident.

Security at the base had reportedly been heightened in recent weeks. Britain granted Washington permission in March to use Fairford for “specific defensive operations into Iran,” and US bombers and other aircraft have since been observed taking off and landing at the base. Fairford is the only airbase on Britain’s mainland used for this purpose.

The incident began after a farmer living in the village of Whelford, near the airbase, called the police after witnessing three vans blocking a road and a group of masked men fleeing the scene. Aerial footage of the vans showed they appeared to contain barrels, with at least one marked with a fake logo and phone number to mimic a legitimate diesel delivery firm.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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