US withdraws all Air Force bomber jets from RAF Fairford a week after ‘terror plot’

AMERICA has pulled all of its Air Force bomber jets out of RAF Fairford just a week after the suspected terror plot feared to have links with Iran. Around a dozen of the mighty warplanes have been flown back to the United States after being stationed at the UK airbase in Gloucestershire. The withdrawal comes just one week after five men were arrested over an alleged plot at the heavily guarded base, which has been used as a launchpad for US bomber strikes on Iran. The Pentagon confirmed on Sunday that every American bomber – including at least 10 B-1 bombers – deployed to Fairford had now returned home. It said: “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.” According to reporting by US media, the withdrawal appears to be in response to fresh or renewed security concerns about safety on the base. READ MORE IN WORLD NEWS Two US officials told the New York Times that the hasty withdrawal followed “new threats” about a potential Iran-backed plot reportedly concerning the base. The bombers’ departure follows a terrifying security scare which saw armed cops swoop on three vans near the base. Five London men, aged between 23 and 25, were detained on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences before being released on bail within 36 hours. A sixth man, a dual UK-Iranian citizen, was arrested days later on suspicion of plotting a terrorist act but was also released on bail. Most read in The Sun But the suspected-plot was foiled after one of the men called police himself. Armed officers raced to the scene before rounding up the suspects and stripping off their clothes amid fears they could be wearing suicide vests. No improvised explosive devices were discovered inside the three vans, police said on Tuesday. But Counter Terrorism Policing chief Laurence Taylor revealed a quantity of gasoline had been recovered from the vehicles. It remains a mystery why one of the suspects made the emergency call as investigators continue to probe the alarming incident. The security operation also forced 85 households to flee their homes in the nearby village of Whelford. Residents were finally allowed back on Monday after “explosives” discovered at the scene were found not to be viable. Officials in Britain and the US confirmed no military personnel or equipment were harmed during the suspected plot. But fears of a sinister foreign hand intensified after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” Iran played a role in the incident. The alleged scheme came two months after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the base was a “legitimate target”. Tehran has “categorically” denied any involvement. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned on Tuesday that the suspected terrorist plot “clearly involves the hand of a foreign actor”. Rubio stopped short of directly pointing the finger at Tehran, but said the regime had “openly threatened to attack US interests globally”. US officials had already been aware of an Iran-linked threat involving a bomber aircraft being targeted, according to The Wall Street Journal. They had also been alerted to an alleged plot to kill personnel stationed at the base. RAF Fairford has played a key role in American military operations, with the US Air Force using the Gloucestershire base to launch bomber strikes against Iran.