The withdrawal was confirmed by the Pentagon, according to France 24. The outlet links the return to an incident that prompted evacuations near RAF Fairford and to reports of suspicious activity at the base.
According to The Guardian, the U.S. Air Force withdrew the bombers while an investigation was under way into an alleged terrorist attack plot targeting RAF Fairford. The available information does not establish that the plot was confirmed.
France 24 reports that police found no explosives at the base after reports of suspicious activity. The absence of any devices found does not clarify, based on the available evidence, the nature of the incident that led to the alert.
According to France 24, five British men living in London had been arrested and were subsequently released on bail. The sources provided do not specify their identities or establish a direct link between the arrests and the incident at the base.
The Guardian also reports the arrest, in central London, of a person with dual British and Iranian citizenship as part of the reported investigation. The identity of the arrested person and any direct connection to RAF Fairford have not been provided.
RAF Fairford is a British military base located in Gloucestershire and used to deploy the U.S. aircraft mentioned in the reports. The exact number of takeoffs and their timing are not indicated in the available information.
The two reports provided were published on October 4, 2026, but this date does not make it possible to establish precisely when the suspicious activity and evacuations took place; the sources indicate that they occurred on the preceding Sunday.