UK: RAF Fairford Remains Safe After US Withdraws Bombers

By Staff, Agencies

The UK government said Monday that RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire remains safe after the United States withdrew its bomber aircraft from the base, which hosts US Air Force operations.

The Pentagon confirmed Sunday that US bombers, reportedly including around a dozen B-1 aircraft, had been moved from RAF Fairford back to their home bases in the continental United States.

US media reports said the withdrawal followed a security threat involving the base. On September 27, police were alerted to three “suspicious vehicles” near RAF Fairford in western England.

A Downing Street spokesperson told the BBC that he would not comment on military operations conducted by foreign countries but confirmed that the base was safe. He also pointed to comments by US President Donald Trump last week, in which Trump praised British police, defense and security agencies in connection with the incident.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that he would not directly connect the reported security incident with the decision to move the bombers.

Rubio said the movement of military assets between locations was routine and could be related to exercises, redeployments, personnel rotations or the arrival and departure of aircraft.

He added that the United States continued to have full confidence in the security of its military bases and said British authorities had cooperated closely with the US following the incident.

Five men were initially arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses in connection with the incident before being released on bail. A sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was subsequently arrested and also released on bail.

According to the BBC, the decision to withdraw the bombers was a military and operational decision rather than a political one. The move was reportedly communicated by US military officials to their British counterparts.