US bombers leave RAF Fairford after reported threat
The Pentagon confirmed the B-1s returned to US home stations. The identity of whoever made the reported threat has not been disclosed.
The Pentagon confirmed that US B-1 bombers had left RAF Fairford and returned to their home stations in the United States. The force was thought to comprise about a dozen aircraft.
Donald Trump said a threat to the base prompted the move, and that Washington knew who had made it. He did not identify those people or provide details of the threat.
Vice-President JD Vance described the withdrawal as a precaution. Downing Street said RAF Fairford was safe.
The departure follows a 27 September incident in which police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the base. Counter-terror police are investigating; six men arrested in connection with the incident were later released on bail.
The source material does not establish whether that incident was linked to the reported threat or the withdrawal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to directly connect the incident to the aircraft movement, noting that US forces routinely redeploy assets.
