Concerns over Iran drone attack prompted pulling bombers from UK base, sources say
The abrupt redeployment of a dozen B-1 bomber aircraft from a Royal Air Force base in England back to the U.S. last weekend was prompted by concerns of a drone attack on the base, according to three sources familiar.
The planning for a drone attack on the base was directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the sources said. The plan included an attack on the base and base personnel, one of the sources said.
The threat that prompted the removal of the B-1s from RAF Fairford was different than one last month in which five men were detained close to the base and later released on bail, a source familiar with the situation told ABC News.
A 22-year-old British national was arrested on Tuesday morning in central London as part of an investigation into that case by Counter Terrorism Policing. He was detained on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing said in a press release.
"This remains a live investigation and our specialist teams continue to pursue multiple lines of enquiry into the circumstances surrounding events near RAF Fairford," Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement.
The arrest, which came as public interest in the investigation remained high, coincided with the search of a property nearby in Westminster, police said.
"We’re acutely aware of the public interest in this investigation, and we are working around the clock, and at pace, to identify the motivation behind events in Gloucestershire," Evans said on Tuesday. "We remain committed to investigating all possible angles."
Five men in their twenties were arrested in late September in a town near the base on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses, officials said. They were later released on bail, but were subject to "stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others," Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, said at the time.
A sixth man, a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national, was later arrested and also released on bail, officials said.
The U.S. this week said it had pulled its heavy bombers from the air base, which had been used to launch strikes against Iran. President Donald Trump said Monday that the move was prompted by a direct threat to the installation as authorities investigate a suspected plot to attack it.
U.S. officials say they have heightened security around U.S. bases in Europe.
“It is inappropriate to discuss matters of intelligence, and we will not discuss specific force protection measures," a U.S. European Command spokesman said Tuesday. "The Department will continue to assess the threat environment surrounding our installations and take appropriate actions to protect our people, our platforms, and the bases where our forces operate from."
