The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that all US B-1 bombers deployed to Britain’s RAF Fairford had returned home following a security incident that prompted nearby evacuations. Police found no explosives after reports of suspicious activity at the base last Sunday. Five London-based British men arrested were subsequently released on bail.
Issued on: 05/10/2026 -
By: FRANCE 24
The Pentagon confirmed reports Sunday that the United States has withdrawn all B-1 bomber planes from Royal Air Force Fairford, the UK airbase where a suspicious incident triggered nearby evacuations.
A statement from a Pentagon official said "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 statement noted that "operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time."
Police were called to the base in southwest England last Sunday after a local farmer reported a group of men with several vans engaged in "suspicious" activity.
The scare forced evacuations at 85 homes near the airbase, which was used to launch strikes on Iran.
Speculation about the motives behind the incident ranged from terror threat to fuel thievery, as energy prices in the UK hit record highs this week.
Investigators said they did not find any explosives in the vans, but instead "a quantity of petrol was recovered," National Counter Terrorism Policing head Lawrence Taylor said.
The five London-based Britons arrested in the incident, all men in their mid-20s, were released on bail, drawing rebuke from Washington.
"I wouldn't have done that," US President Donald Trump told reporters, as his Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged a "foreign actor" was involved.
Iran's embassy in London has said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved.
Security at the base had reportedly been heightened recently.
Britain gave Washington permission in March to use Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran," and US bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing from the base.
Fairford is the only airbase on Britain's mainland used for this purpose.
The incident came after a farmer living in the village of Whelford, near the airbase, called the police after seeing 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, and at least one was marked with a fake logo and phone number, giving the false impression that it was owned by a legitimate diesel delivery firm.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
US withdraws bombers from UK airbase after suspected terror plot
05.10.2026, DPA
The US Air Force has withdrawn all its bombers from the UK military base Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford after a suspected terror plot at the base in Gloucestershire.
The bombers have been sent back to their home bases in the United States, with aircraft monitoring sites showing B-1 bombers flying out of the base on Sunday.
On Saturday, Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) said a sixth man arrested in connection with events at RAF Fairford had been released on bail.
The 25-year-old, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Five British nationals, all in their mid-20s, were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism and then bailed.
Three suspicious vans were spotted near the military site last weekend.
Senior CTP national co-ordinator Vicki Evans previously said the investigation was "hugely complex," adding that specialist teams were "interrogating multiple lines of inquiry."
She added: "As we've made clear, we're looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" that Iran played a part in the incident.
RAF Fairford has been used in recent months by US bombers after former prime minister Keir Starmer granted Washington permission to use British bases for "defensive" strikes against Tehran during the Middle East war.
Counter-terror police have said a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found in the vans that sparked the security alert.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Israel had handed Britain intelligence about the suspected terror plot.
Netanyahu said his country warned UK authorities about the "Iranian-sponsored attack" shortly before Britain's announcement of a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump said he was "disappointed" after the five men were released on bail.
He told reporters: "We were involved in [the investigation], but as you know, your fellow countrymen let them go."
"Well, they didn't let them go. They put them out on bail. I assume they haven't watched closely … they should not have done that."
US pulls all B-1 bombers from UK airbase at centre of terror probe
Donald Trump has criticised the UK authorities decision to release six men on bail after they were arrested following an incident near airbase RAF Fairford.
The United States confirmed Sunday that it has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, a British airbase at the centre of a counter-terrorism probe after a mysterious security incident last month.
Police were called to the base in southwest England on 27 September after a local farmer reported a group of men with several vans engaged in "suspicious" activity. The scare forced evacuations at 85 homes near the airbase, which was used by the United States to launch strikes on Iran.
Investigators did not find any explosives in the vans, but instead "a quantity of petrol was recovered," according to counter-terrorism police.
A statement from a Pentagon official said Sunday "we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States." The statement noted that "operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time."
Speculation about the motives behind the incident ranged from terror threat to fuel thievery, as energy prices in the UK hit record highs this week. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there were "strong indications that Iran played a part" in the incident, a charge rejected by Tehran.
Six London-based Britons arrested in the incident, including a UK-Iranian dual national, were released on bail, drawing rebuke from Washington.
"I wouldn't have done that," US President Donald Trump told reporters, as his Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged a "foreign actor" was involved. Iran's embassy in London has said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" speculation that Tehran was involved.
Britain gave Washington permission in March to use Fairford for "specific defensive operations into Iran," and US bombers and other planes have since been seen taking off and landing from the base. Fairford is the only airbase on Britain's mainland used for this purpose.
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