Washington: The Pentagon on Sunday confirmed that the United States has removed every B‑1 bomber from Royal Air Force Fairford, the Gloucestershire airfield that became the focus of a major counter‑terrorism operation after a suspicious incident prompted evacuations in nearby villages.
In a statement, 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 official added that “operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real‑time.”
The decision to clear the base of its long‑range strike aircraft comes a week after police were called to the outskirts of RAF Fairford following a report from a local farmer who spotted three vans and a group of masked men acting suspiciously before fleeing.
Aerial footage showed the vans appeared to be loaded with barrels, and at least one carried a counterfeit logo and phone number, creating the false impression that it belonged to a legitimate diesel delivery company.
As a precaution, around 85 homes in Whelford were evacuated while specialist teams examined the vehicles, as reported by France 24.
Authorities later said no explosives were discovered in the vans. Instead, “a quantity of petrol was recovered,” Counter Terrorism Policing chief Lawrence Taylor confirmed. All five London men arrested in their mid‑20s were subsequently released on bail under strict conditions, a move that drew sharp criticism from senior US officials.
“I wouldn’t have done that,” US President Donald Trump told reporters, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed a “foreign actor” was behind the incident.
British officials have said there are “strong indications” Iran was involved, an allegation Tehran “categorically rejects and strongly condemns.”
In March, the UK allowed the US to use RAF Fairford for defensive strikes against Iran. Since then, American B‑1 and B‑52 bombers have been seen taking off from and landing at the base, the only site on Britain’s mainland used for such missions. Security around the airfield was stepped up in the days before the September 27 incident, with extra barriers and police activity reported nearby.
The New York Times reported that the withdrawal was carried out with unusual speed, with some bombers departing even as aerial refuelling tankers were being scrambled to support their flights back across the Atlantic.