US has withdrawn bombers from a military base in Great Britain

The United States has made the abrupt decision to withdraw its bombers from the Royal Air Force (RAF) base Fairford in the western part of the United Kingdom, citing concerns about a potential attack, AL Jazeera reports.

Media reports emerged on Sunday that an urgent redeployment was under way, with B-1 bombers leaving RAF Fairford for the US.

Roughly a dozen such aircraft had been based at RAF Fairford prior to the sudden departure.

“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 spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

“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 added.

It is unclear precisely what prompted the withdrawal, which comes as the US and Israel remain embroiled in a war against Iran.

RAF Fairford has served as a stopping point for US bombers participating in the war, which began more than seven months ago, on February 28.

But the base, located roughly 160km (100 miles) west of London, has been rumoured to be the target of a “terror” plot involving Iran.

On September 27, UK authorities arrested five men on suspicion of plotting to plant explosives near the base.

Iran has denied any such scheme, and the men were released without charge a day later. Investigators discovered petrol, but no explosive devices, in their vans. Still, officials in the UK say they remain under investigation.

On Thursday, British police also announced they had arrested a 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national in London on suspicion of plotting an attack against the airbase.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham suggested last week that “Iran played a part” in the alleged plot, though he declined to provide details.

“The investigation into circumstances surrounding events in Gloucestershire is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of enquiry,” Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing Vicki Evans said in a statement.

“As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles – including possible foreign state involvement.”

US President Donald Trump responded to the initial arrests by accusing the men of seeking to do “big damage” to US facilities. He also praised UK authorities for their efforts.

“The arrest in the UK was fantastic. Working with Britain – it was an amazing job. We had them under investigation,” Trump said of the suspects. “We had them under view for a long time, and we got them.”

Iran, meanwhile, summoned the UK ambassador to Tehran over the last week in protest of the arrests.