New details have emerged about why the United States abruptly withdrew all its bombers from RAF Fairford last weekend, with US and British officials revealing the move was triggered by intelligence about a potential drone attack ordered by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Irish Times — citing an original report by The New York Times — reported on Tuesday 6 October that commanders received intelligence about a “complex, multipronged Iranian plot” not only to destroy the B-1 Lancer bombers at the Gloucestershire airbase, but also to kill some of the several hundred American personnel stationed there.
Mid-September Warning
According to US and British officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters, US military commanders received a “dire warning” from Western intelligence agencies in mid-September — weeks before the arrest of five men near Whelford on 27 September. That warning stated specifically that RAF Fairford was the target of a potential Iran-backed attack.
Concern then spread across Europe. Israel reportedly warned Germany that US bases at Spangdahlem and Ramstein airbases were also at heightened risk.
All 12 Bombers Withdrawn
All 12 B-1B Lancer bombers that had been deployed to RAF Fairford under Operation Epic Fury — used in the US-Israeli strikes against Iran earlier this year — were withdrawn to their home stations in the United States over the weekend of 4–5 October.
US Vice President JD Vance said the aircraft were moved “out of an abundance of caution trying to protect our guys.” President Donald Trump confirmed “there were some threats” and said he would not have left the bombers at the base.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly downplayed any link between the withdrawal and the ongoing police investigation into the Whelford arrests, saying he would not connect the departure to the counter-terrorism inquiry. However, officials speaking anonymously gave a different account, describing the withdrawal as a direct response to the drone threat intelligence.
A NATO military source told reporters on Monday: “It is still believed that Iran poses an acute threat to US assets in the UK.”
Six Suspects Still on Bail
The revelations come as the investigation into the Whelford arrests continues. All six people arrested in connection with the incident — five British nationals in their 20s detained near the airbase on 27 September, and a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national arrested in Westminster on 1 October — remain on police bail. No one has been charged.
Counter Terrorism Policing has said the investigation is “hugely complex” and that officers are “looking at all possible angles, including possible foreign state involvement.” No viable explosives were found during searches of the three vans stopped near the base; a quantity of petrol was recovered.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said there are “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the incident. Iran’s embassy in London has categorically denied any involvement, calling the allegations “unfounded and malicious.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had warned in July 2026 that RAF Fairford — as a base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory — was “a legitimate target” for its forces.
This follows our earlier coverage: Major incident declared near RAF Fairford as police cordon off airbase and arrest several men.
Sources: Irish Times (6 October 2026), citing The New York Times; Counter Terrorism Policing statements; Economic Times (Reuters); NATO military source via AP.
