President Donald Trump has confirmed that the United States relocated approximately a dozen B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in the UK due to specific “threats” against the base. This move, which the Pentagon verified on Sunday, saw the aircraft return to their home stations in America after Trump's remarks to reporters on Monday, October 5, 2026, as he departed for Nebraska.
While the precise nature of the danger remains officially undisclosed, US media outlets have reported intelligence suggesting Iran was planning a drone attack. Sources in Washington, speaking to the BBC, speculated the threat could have involved sabotage attempts or efforts to target the sensitive, high-value aircraft if hostilities with Iran resumed. One White House source cited Ukraine's “Operation Spiderweb” from June last year—where drones were smuggled into Russia via lorries and launched near airbases by unwitting drivers—as an example of potential distant enemy action, emphasizing the seriousness with which the perceived threat was handled.
Asked directly outside the White House if a “specific threat” prompted the withdrawal, Trump affirmed, “Yeah I think we can say that. They didn't fly out by accident. There were some threats. And rather than tempting the enemy, we'll capture the enemy and beat the enemy. But why should we leave them there? So we moved them around a little bit. Not very far.” He further stated that Washington “actually knows the people that made the threat,” later adding they “would be linked to Iran.”
These statements from the President and earlier comments from Vance contrast sharply with Secretary of State Marco Rubio's more cautious stance. Rubio characterized such movements as “not unusual” for military units and assets rotating globally, while a No 10 spokesperson earlier on Monday maintained RAF Fairford was safe, referencing Trump's previous praise for UK security services.
The bomber withdrawal follows an incident on September 27, when police responded to three “suspicious vehicles” detected near the Gloucestershire airbase. Counter-terror police are actively investigating this matter, which led to the initial arrest of five men on suspicion of terror offences, all subsequently released on bail. A sixth individual, identified as a UK-Iranian national, was also later arrested and released on bail in connection with the ongoing inquiry.
Image: Wikipedia — Donald Trump
📰 Source: BBC World