Trump says 'threat' led US to pull bombers from RAF Fairford

President Donald Trump says a threat to RAF Fairford is why American bombers were pulled from the British base. Asked by reporters on Monday whether a specific threat prompted the move, he said it could be put that way, adding that the aircraft did not leave by accident. He said Washington knows who made the threat but did not name them. The Pentagon had announced the withdrawal a day earlier, saying roughly a dozen B-1s were sent back to bases at home, according to BBC.

The departure follows a 27 September episode in which police were alerted to three suspicious vehicles near the base. Five men were arrested on suspicion of terror offenses and bailed, and a sixth man, a UK-Iranian national, was later arrested and bailed too. Prime Minister Andy Burnham cited strong indications of Iranian involvement, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of a foreign actor. Iran firmly denies any role.

The administration's messaging differs. Vice-President JD Vance described the move as caution and accused Iran of terrorism, while Rubio called such rotations routine and declined to link them to the incident. A spokesperson for the prime minister's office maintained that the base is safe.

Summarized by PolitiKool from BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at BBC →