US Air Force Pulls Bombers From English Base After Investigation Into Suspected Terror Plot

The U.S. Air Force has withdrawn its bombers from RAF Fairford, the American-run air base in England that has been used to strike Iran, after an investigation into a suspected plot to attack the site.

A Pentagon official, who was not authorized to discuss sensitive military movements and spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday, said the aircraft were sent back to their home bases in the United States.

Groups that follow military aviation, including the Military Air Tracking Alliance, have counted dozens of B-52 and B-1 bombers flying from Fairford since the opening days of the war with Iran. Observers saw a number of B-1 bombers leave the base on Sunday.

The departure comes as President Donald Trump considers his next steps in the conflict, including the possibility of new strikes. He originally told Americans the campaign would last only a matter of weeks. Speaking to reporters on Saturday as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio, he said: "We have decisions that I'll make about Iran. Iran's been decimated. So the only question is — it'll either be the easy way, or the hard way."

In Britain, a dual British-Iranian national was arrested in central London last week on suspicion of plotting a terror attack. The arrest followed a security incident at RAF Fairford in late September. Six people in all have been taken into custody during the investigation and later released on bail.

British authorities have tied the incident to Tehran. Iran has denied any involvement, although it has said previously that it regards any base used to attack its territory as a legitimate target.

U.K. officials say Iran-linked proxies have carried out a series of arson and other attacks in Britain and elsewhere, many aimed at the Jewish community and meant to spread fear. They have cautioned that Tehran could widen its list of targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.

RAF Fairford lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London and has hosted American bombers through decades of Middle East conflicts.

The U.S. military still has a large presence in the Middle East. A U.S. official said Thursday that the recently deployed aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Malkin Island amphibious readiness group are heading to the region. Together the ships carry more than 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines. The official said the deployment could put three carriers in the region as early as the end of October.