US withdraws all 12 B-1 bombers from UK’s RAF Fairford base
Version 2: New details have emerged about the September 27 police operation near the base, including the arrest of five men in their twenties, the evacuation of 85 households and the discovery of gasoline but no explosives, and the figure of 12 withdrawn bombers is now also attributed to two US officials cited by The New York Times and BBC.
In short
The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers deployed at Britain’s Royal Air Force Fairford base, Chinese outlets reported, with 12 aircraft stationed there before the move. Reports citing US media and CCTV News said the decision followed security concerns over a suspected attack plot against the base, which had been used as a hub for US bombing operations against Iran. British police arrested five men near Fairford on September 27 and evacuated 85 nearby households; police later said no explosives were found but gasoline was discovered.
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The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers stationed at Britain’s Royal Air Force Fairford base, according to reports relayed by Chinese outlets. The withdrawal took place on October 4 local time, Jiemian, China News Service and CLS reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Twelve B-1 bombers had been deployed at the base before the withdrawal, according to CLS, Jiemian and China News Service. China News Service, citing The New York Times and BBC, said two US officials confirmed that all 12 aircraft had left. CLS, citing The Wall Street Journal, quoted a Pentagon statement saying all US bombers at Fairford had been redeployed to bases in the United States and remained ready to launch strikes from US soil. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
Jiemian, citing CCTV News, and China News Service reported that the decision was taken out of security concerns over a suspected terrorist attack plot against the base. Both said Fairford, northwest of London, had been used as a hub for US bombing operations against Iran. [ 4 , 6 , 8 ]
The move followed an incident on September 27. China News Service reported that police were told in the early hours that three suspicious vehicles were heading to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire; officers arrested five British men in their twenties and evacuated 85 households nearby. Police later said no explosive devices were found in the vehicles but that a quantity of gasoline was discovered, the outlet reported. CLS said the five men were arrested on suspicion of plotting a “terrorist attack”. [ 3 , 6 ]
CLS reported that British Prime Minister Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran was involved in suspicious activity targeting Fairford, and that Iran denied the allegation. No other document names the British leader or reports the Iranian response. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents say Fairford had been used as a hub for US bombing operations against Iran, so moving the bombers out changes the forward posture of that force. The Pentagon statement quoted by CLS said the aircraft remain ready to launch strikes from the United States, and the documents do not say what the withdrawal means for any planned operations. The arrests and the evacuation of nearby residents point to heightened security around the base.
Key facts
- The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers deployed at Britain’s RAF Fairford base, reports relayed by Chinese outlets said. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Twelve B-1 bombers were deployed at the base before the withdrawal. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
- The withdrawal took place on October 4 local time. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Jiemian, citing CCTV News, and China News Service said the move followed security concerns over a suspected terrorist attack plot against the base. [ 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Jiemian and China News Service said the base, northwest of London, had been used as a hub for US bombing operations against Iran. [ 4 , 6 ]
- A Pentagon statement quoted by CLS, citing The Wall Street Journal, said all US bombers at Fairford had been redeployed to US bases and remained ready to launch strikes from the United States. [ 3 ]
- British police arrested five men in their twenties on September 27 after a report of three suspicious vehicles heading to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, and evacuated 85 nearby households, China News Service reported. [ 3 , 6 ]
- CLS reported that British Prime Minister Burnham cited “strong indications” of Iranian involvement in suspicious activity targeting the base, which Iran denied. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers deployed at Britain’s RAF Fairford base. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Twelve B-1 bombers were based at Fairford before the withdrawal. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
- The withdrawal took place on October 4 local time. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- Reports said the decision followed security concerns over a suspected attack plot against the base. [ 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- The base had been used as a hub for US bombing operations against Iran. [ 4 , 6 ]
- British police arrested five men near the base on September 27 after reports of suspicious vehicles heading there. [ 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- The Pentagon said all US bombers at Fairford had been redeployed to US bases and remained ready to launch strikes from US soil. Stated by a single document, CLS, which attributes it to The Wall Street Journal; no other outlet carries the statement.
- British Prime Minister Burnham said there were “strong indications” Iran was involved in suspicious activity targeting Fairford, and Iran denied it. Reported only by CLS, citing The Wall Street Journal; no other document names the British leader or reports the Iranian denial.
- Police found no explosive devices in the vehicles but discovered a quantity of gasoline. Reported by a single outlet, China News Service.
- What the withdrawal means for US operations and how long it will last. The documents report the redeployment and the stated reasons but give no assessment of its operational effect or duration.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- British police receive a report of three suspicious vehicles heading to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, arrest five men in their twenties and evacuate 85 nearby households, according to China News Service; CLS says the five were held on suspicion of plotting a “terrorist attack”. [ 3 , 6 ]
- The United States withdraws all B-1 bombers deployed at RAF Fairford, local time. [ 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ]
- CLS reports, citing reports, that the US has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from the UK air base. [ 1 ]
- Xinhua relays US media reports that the US military has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from the British base. [ 2 ]
- CLS publishes its detailed report, citing The Wall Street Journal, the Pentagon statement and the figure of 12 bombers. [ 3 ]
- Jiemian, citing CCTV News, reports the withdrawal and the security concerns behind it. [ 4 ]
- Yicai carries the withdrawal in a headline item. [ 5 ]
- China News Service publishes details of the September 27 police operation alongside the withdrawal. [ 6 ]
- China News Service, citing The New York Times and BBC, reports that two US officials confirmed all 12 bombers had been withdrawn. [ 7 ]
- cnBeta repeats the CCTV-sourced summary of the withdrawal. [ 8 ]