President Donald Trump says the Pentagon withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in the UK after threats emerged following a terrorism arrest near the base. Washington and London have both pointed to Iran, which denies any involvement.
The United States withdrew its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford over the weekend, one week after five men were arrested near the base on suspicion of terrorism. President Donald Trump confirmed the Pentagon ordered the withdrawal as he left the White House for Nebraska on Monday.
According to the Financial Times, Trump told reporters: "They didn't fly out by accident," adding that there were some threats. He said the US would rather confront a threat directly than leave the aircraft exposed at the base, adding that the bombers were relocated for that reason.
A sixth suspect, a dual UK-Iranian national, was arrested on Thursday, a week after the initial five detentions. The base has previously served as a launch site for US bombing raids on Iran.
Trump, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham have all suggested Iran was involved in the incident, though Tehran denies any role. Trump also warned that Iran would face severe consequences if it had deployed drones over the UK.
Source: Financial Times
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