Pentagon pulls B-1 bombers from UK base following alleged terror threat

The Pentagon confirmed that all U.S. bombers previously deployed to RAF Fairford have returned to their home stations in the United States, saying operational security prevented real-time confirmation of the movements. Flight-tracking services recorded multiple B-1 departures from the Gloucestershire airfield on Sunday morning. The U.S. official also emphasized that aircrews operating B-1s, B-2s and B-52s remain ready to conduct precision strikes launching from the continental United States if required.

U.S. officials did not publicly identify a specific trigger for the rapid withdrawal, but the move came weeks after British authorities said they had intercepted an alleged attack on the U.S.-operated post. British police arrested six men in connection with the suspected plot; authorities later released the suspects on bail while the investigation continues. Five of those detained were described as U.K. nationals in their 20s, and one was a U.K.-Iranian dual national who was also released on bail.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters that the UK government believes Iran "played a part" in the alleged thwarted attack, an assessment Iran has denied. The Fairford base has been used by U.S. forces to stage long-range bomber operations in the past, including deployments of B-1s and B-52s during the Trump administration's military actions related to Iran.

Pentagon officials framed the redeployment as a security and operational decision, while underscoring that U.S. bomber forces remain capable of delivering global strike capabilities from U.S. soil. Details of the suspected plot and the continuing police investigation in the U.K. have not been publicly disclosed beyond the arrests and the subsequent release of suspects on bail.