US withdraws all B-1 bombers from British military base RAF Fairford

The ​United States removed its B-1 bombers from a UK air ​base one week after several men were arrested there on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, a Pentagon official said on Sunday. A ​dozen ‌B-1 bombers were stationed at RAF ⁠Fairford air base, located northwest of London. The planes had been used for ‌US strikes on Iran. "While operational security precluded us from ⁠confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US ​bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have ‌re-deployed to their home stations in the United States," a Pentagon spokesman wrote in an email. Britain has "strong indications" that ‌Iran was involved in a suspected plot targeting the base, Prime Minister Andy ​Burnham said on Wednesday. Iran said accusations linking Tehran to the alleged plan were baseless and summoned the British ambassador in ​Tehran over the issue. The Wall Street Journal first ​reported that the aircraft were removed from ​the base amid security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility. The British ​government had allowed the US to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump said ⁠those involved in the plot had planned "big damage" while US Secretary of ⁠State Marco Rubio ​also pointed to the "hands of a foreign actor." (FRANCE 24 with Reuters)