US returns bombers from RAF Fairford after alleged terror plot

The US Air Force has withdrawn all bombers deployed to RAF Fairford in England and returned them to bases in the United States, according to a Pentagon official familiar with the move. The official spoke anonymously on Sunday because they were not authorised to discuss sensitive military movements. The redeployment follows an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the base, which has been used by US aircraft conducting strikes against Iran.

Aviation watchers, including the Military Air Tracking Alliance, had tracked dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers operating from Fairford since the opening days of the Iran war. Observers reported seeing several B-1 bombers leave the Gloucestershire base on Sunday. The US military has not publicly linked the aircraft movement to a change in its wider regional operations, and it continues to maintain a substantial presence in the Middle East.

A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting an attack. The arrest followed a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. Six people have been taken into custody and released on bail during the investigation, according to the source material.

British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran, while Iran has denied involvement. RAF Fairford, about 160 kilometres west of London, has hosted US bombers during decades of Middle East conflicts. The withdrawal comes as President Donald Trump considers options for his campaign against Iran, including possible new strikes.

Trump said on Saturday that Iran had been “decimated” and that future decisions would depend on whether the country chose “the easy way, or the hard way”. US forces are also sending naval assets towards the region. A US official said the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group were heading there, potentially bringing three carriers into the region by the end of October.