WorldThe Guardian

US bombers pulled from RAF Fairford base after suspected terror plot

The US has pulled all its bombers from the RAF Fairford base in England after a suspected Iranian-linked terror plot, with at least 10 B-1 bombers flown back to the US.

Aircraft leave Gloucestershire base to return to US following arrest of dual British-Iranian national in central London

The Long Sip
What happened

The US Air Force rapidly withdrew all its bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire following an alleged terror plot linked to Iran.

The detail

At least 10 B-1 bombers left the base on Sunday, some of which had arrived just days earlier, and a dual British-Iranian national was arrested in London over the suspected plot.

What it means

British authorities have linked the threat to Tehran, though Iran has denied involvement, and the rapid withdrawal has heightened security concerns around the base.

Full story at The Guardian

What readers are saying

geoff59
The piece says some of those bombers had only just arrived as part of normal rotation less than a week before they left. That turnover speed suggests the threat assessment flipped very fast - the US didn't wait to see how the UK would handle it, they just yanked their assets. That's a significant vote of no confidence in base security.
kath1950
The Pentagon says this was a 'normal rotation' but then pulls ten bombers out in a panic - those two claims don't sit well together, and I'd want to know whether the threat was actually NEW or just suddenly taken more seriously after weeks of sitting there.
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