Pentagon confirms all US bombers have returned to home stations after a suspicious activity alert near the airbase used for operations involving Iran.
London, Oct 2026 : All US bombers deployed to Britain’s RAF Fairford have returned to their home stations in the United States, the Pentagon said, following a security scare near the southwest England airbase last week.
A Pentagon official said the movement of the aircraft had been completed but could not be disclosed earlier because of operational security concerns.
“We can acknowledge now that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” the official said.
The Pentagon statement added that operational security had prevented authorities from confirming the movement of US military assets and forces in real time.
The development comes after police were called to the airbase last Sunday following a report from a local farmer who saw a group of masked men and several vans involved in what he considered suspicious activity.
The incident triggered the evacuation of residents from 85 homes located near the military facility. RAF Fairford has been used by the United States for operations involving Iran and is the only airbase on mainland Britain being used for such purposes.
The suspicious activity prompted speculation over whether the incident was connected to a possible terrorist threat or an attempt to steal fuel, particularly as energy prices in Britain reached record levels this week.
However, investigators later said no explosives were discovered in the vehicles. National Counter Terrorism Policing head Lawrence Taylor said a quantity of petrol was recovered from the vans.
Five London-based British men, all reportedly in their mid-20s, were arrested in connection with the incident. They were subsequently released on bail, a decision that drew criticism from Washington.
US President Donald Trump told reporters that he would not have released the suspects on bail. Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately alleged that a foreign actor was involved in the incident.
Iran’s embassy in London rejected the speculation, saying it “categorically rejects and strongly condemns” suggestions that Tehran had any involvement.
Security measures at RAF Fairford had reportedly been increased in recent weeks amid its role in US military operations.
Britain had authorised Washington in March to use the base for “specific defensive operations into Iran”. Since then, US bombers and other military aircraft have been observed arriving at and departing from the facility.
The incident began when a farmer in Whelford, a village near RAF Fairford, contacted police after noticing three vans blocking a road and a group of masked men fleeing the area.
Aerial images of the vehicles showed what appeared to be barrels inside them. At least one van carried a false logo and telephone number designed to create the impression that it belonged to a legitimate diesel delivery company.
Authorities have not publicly established the precise motive behind the incident. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the suspicious activity remain ongoing.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
