What happened
The United States has withdrawn all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford, a British airbase in southwest England, following a mysterious security incident last month. The incident occurred on September 27, when a local farmer reported a group of men with several vans engaged in suspicious activity near the base.
Police were called to the scene, and 85 homes near the airbase were evacuated. Investigators found a quantity of petrol in the vans but no explosives. Six men, including a UK-Iranian dual national, were arrested and later released on bail, prompting criticism from US President Donald Trump.
The US had been using RAF Fairford to launch strikes on Iran, and the base is the only one on Britain's mainland used for this purpose. The withdrawal of the B-1 bombers was confirmed by a Pentagon official, who cited operational security as the reason for not confirming the movement of US assets and forces in real-time.
Speculation about the motives behind the incident has ranged from a terror threat to fuel thievery, with energy prices in the UK hitting record highs. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has suggested that Iran may have been involved, but Tehran has denied this.
