The United States pulled its fleet of B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and sent them back to home stations following security concerns over suspected plots targeting the air base, after British authorities arrested men in connection to Iran.
Until their recent departure, a dozen B-1s had been stationed at the base. The United States has a long history of stationing forces at RAF Fairford during its wars in the Middle East. RAF Fairford is a NATO-designated standby deployment and a U.S. forward operating base for U.S. Global Strike Command, according to U.K. government records, and serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron. British authorities established a 400-metre exclusion zone around the air base during the initial emergency.
Farmer Spots Masked Men Near RAF Fairford
The security crisis began unfolding late on a Saturday night when a local farmer driving home spotted three oddly parked vans and a large group of masked men near the perimeter of RAF Fairford. I mean, you don’t see masked men running around at half one in the morning in the countryside near a secure air base and not have concerns,
the resident told reporters, declining to be named to protect her identity while describing potential security lapses. Authorities received an emergency report around 12:45 a.m. local time on Sunday regarding three suspicious vehicles operating close to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, according to the Metropolitan Police in London, the agency spearheading investigations into potential terrorist threats.
The witness immediately contacted Gloucestershire Police at roughly 12:45 a.m. on September 27. The police response triggered the evacuation of at least 85 nearby homes at 7 a.m., with displaced residents moved to a local leisure centre for the night as bomb disposal robots moved in. Footage broadcast by Britain’s Sky News from the air displayed an explosive ordnance disposal robot moving between three white delivery trucks, alongside two open van doors and scattered large black objects.
Police Probe Iranian Links After Sixth Arrest
A sixth individual—a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national—was arrested in central London.
Counter Terrorism Policing official Laurence Taylor stated that the suspects remain under investigation and that lines of inquiry include whether suspected offenses were committed by proxies or individuals working on behalf of a foreign state, either knowingly or unknowingly. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told the BBC that authorities saw strong indications that Iran played a part in the incident.
There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation, and of course we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America.
Andy Burnham, Prime Minister via CBS News
Counterterrorism police were investigating whether Iran is linked to the suspected bomb plot, and U.S. and British authorities are leading the investigation alongside intelligence services. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that the situation clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor without naming a specific country. Meanwhile, Iran denied involvement and summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran over the last week in protest of the arrests. The Iranian Embassy in London issued a social media statement that it categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations attempting to link Iran to the incident, calling the circulation of such fabricated speculations an effort to fuel Iranophobia propaganda.
Pentagon Relocates Heavy Bomber Fleet
Less than a week after the initial arrests, the Pentagon ordered the rapid evacuation of its heavy bomber fleet from Gloucestershire. American officials declined to specify the exact nature of the new information that prompted the rapid withdrawal, though a U.S. official noted the warnings stemmed from threat indicators that surfaced weeks prior but spiked in urgency.
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.
Pentagon spokesperson, via CBS News
President Donald Trump had previously praised UK authorities for their cooperation, stating that American intelligence agencies had the suspects under view for a significant period before the civilian tip-off triggered the intervention. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them,
Trump stated at a rally. Former Defense Intelligence Agency officer Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital that the number of suspects and vehicles involved raised the possibility of a sophisticated operation that could have generated elevated security protocols across Europe, the U.K., and globally for U.S. military installations.
The U.K. initially declined to participate in the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran—which began on February 28—and initially denied a request from Washington to use British bases for strikes. Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer later agreed in March to permit the U.S. to utilize bases such as RAF Fairford and RAF Diego Garcia for limited defensive operations against Iranian missiles and launch sites following attacks on British interests and Gulf allies. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at a facility owned by Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco in Riyadh, while regional maritime incidents continued near Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
Senior Trump administration officials met at Camp David to discuss the war with Iran and escalating conflicts involving Houthi militias, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any renewed military confrontation would prompt a stronger defensive response from Tehran. The complete evacuation of bomber assets from Gloucestershire follows the Gloucestershire counterterrorism raids.
Former White House official Morgan Murphy noted to Fox News Digital that if conclusive evidence links Tehran to an attempted attack on U.S. forces, American leadership will determine how the regime pays. British counterterrorism units examine financial records, communications, and potential foreign handlers as regional flashpoints persist, and authorities have yet to confirm what specific evidence links the arrested men to foreign handlers.
