The U.S. Air Force scrambled over the weekend to remove all 12 B-1 bombers stationed at an air base in England that was recently targeted in a suspected terror plot, a Pentagon official said on Oct. 4.
The bombers were urgently removed from the RAF Fairford air base, which the U.S. military has used to conduct strikes against Iran, amid heightened concerns of an attack on the facility.
"While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States," the official said on the condition of anonymity.
Last week, British authorities said they foiled an attempted terrorist
attack against RAF Fairford. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Sept. 30 that there are "strong indications that Iran played a part" in the incident.
Five men who were driving white vans near the base were arrested in the early hours of Sept. 27. The men were released on bail after police discovered petrol, but no explosives, following a search of the vehicles.
A sixth person, a dual British-Iranian national, was arrested on Oct. 1 on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, according to British police. He has also been released on bail.
Police have insisted that all six men remain under investigation.
President Donald Trump criticized the decision to release the men on bail in remarks from the White House on Sept. 28."I’m surprised that they released them," he said. "I wouldn’t have done that."
U.S. and British authorities have expressed deep concern that the RAF Fairford base would be the target of an Iran-backed attack. The facility has been used extensively by the U.S. Air Force to strike Iran since the start of the war in February.
The base is strategically important for the Pentagon because the shorter flight distance reduces the time and cost for striking targets in Iran.
The Pentagon official said that U.S. airmen "remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities – including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States – anywhere, anytime."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US removes B-1 bombers from UK base amid security concerns
