U.S. Air Force removes all bombers from British air base targeted in a suspected terror plot

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has brought home all of its bombers stationed at RAF Fairford, a U.S.-run military air base in England used to strike Iran, following an investigation into a planned terror attack at the base.

A Pentagon official told NBC News that all bombers that had been deployed to the base “have been re-deployed to their home stations in the United States.”

“The Airmen that operate America’s bomber force, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, remain ready to deliver precision global strike capabilities — including through operations that launch and recover from the continental United States — anywhere, anytime,” the official said.

The rushed withdrawal of at least 12 bombers included several that had just arrived as part of a rotation to the base, two Pentagon officials told NBC News.

Aviation watchers such as the Military Air Tracking Alliance have observed dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers operating out of RAF Fairford since the opening days of the Iran war. Observers noticed a host of B-1 bombers fly out of the base on Sunday.

The move comes as President Donald Trump weighs options for his war on Iran — including new strikes — despite his initial promises to Americans that the campaign would last a matter of weeks.

“We have decisions that I’ll make about Iran. Iran’s been decimated. So the only question is — it’ll either be the easy way, or the hard way,” Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio.

A dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack, following a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. In total, six people have been taken into custody and then released on bail during the investigation.

British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran. Iran has denied involvement.

RAF Fairford, located 100 miles west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East.

The U.S. military still maintains a sizable presence in the Middle East. On Thursday, a U.S. official said the recently deployed USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, as well as the USS Malkin Island amphibious readiness group — a group of ships that together carry over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines — are heading for the region. The official said the move could result in three carriers in the region as early as the end of October.