WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) — The United States removed all its B-1 bombers from Britain’s RAF Fairford air base, a decision stemming from security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing U.S. officials.
Until their departure, about a dozen B-1 bombers had been stationed at the base northwest of London, a hub for U.S. bomber strikes on Iran, according to the report.
“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can now acknowledge that all U.S. bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have redeployed to their home stations in the United States,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The decision follows the arrest of six suspects in connection to a suspected attack on the base that U.S. and British officials said was foiled last Sunday. ■