Removal of US bombers from RAF Fairford not directly connected to arrests, says Marco Rubio

The removal of US bombers from RAF Fairford is not directly connected to the arrests of five men near the base, the US secretary of state has said.

"The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be. There's regular rotations that happen as well," said Marco Rubio.

"We've documented what happened last week. I wouldn't directly tie that to the move that was made."

The secretary of state said "new planes coming in, old planes going out" was normal.

Asked whether he still had confidence in security at Fairford, Mr Rubio said America still had confidence in the security of all its bases and British officials "couldn't be more cooperative".

Number 10 echoed that sentiment earlier on Monday when a spokesperson said the Gloucestershire base - a long-time home to US forces - remained safe.

Mr Rubio's comments come after the Pentagon yesterday confirmed the removal of bombers, including B-1s, B-2s and B-52s, from Fairford.

The air base was the target of a suspected terror attack on 27 September. Five UK nationals in their mid-20s were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and terrorism close to the military site.

They have since been bailed, as has a UK-Iranian national who was arrested on suspicion of preparation of terrorist acts on 1 October.

Asked on Monday whether the base remains safe, a spokesperson for the prime minister replied: "Yes."

The spokesperson said they "wouldn't comment on other countries' military decisions", and also declined to comment on whether the PM had spoken to US President Donald Trump about the decision.

They said there had been "no change to position" regarding the base and the government is "investing £470m into securing defence bases around the UK".

Three of the US planes landed in South Dakota on Sunday, anonymous US officials reportedly told The New York Times.

One said that more specific threat details had emerged in the 24 hours prior to the bombers being withdrawn.

Some aircraft and crew left while refuelling flights were still being arranged because of the urgency of the situation, according to the outlet.

A Pentagon official said on Sunday all US bombers at RAF Fairford had now been "redeployed to their home stations in the United States".

They said America's bomber force remained ready for "precision global strike capabilities", including through missions that begin and end in the continental US.

The prime minister said on Wednesday there was a "strong indication that Iran played a part" in the earlier incident. Iran has denied any involvement.

Two Pentagon sources told Sky's US partner network NBC News the rushed withdrawal of at least 12 bombers included several that had just arrived as part of a rotation.

RAF Fairford is an important base for US military operations. It acts as the headquarters for the US 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron, according to the unit's website.

It serves as "the preferred bomber forward operating location in Europe for US Air Force Global Strike Command".

More from Sky News:
Man shot dead in 'senseless act of violence'
Ticks with life-threatening virus living longer in UK

Fairford's role in the Iran war

In March, a number of US B-1 Lancer bombers arrived at the military base as part of US operations after launching the Iran war.

The removal of the bombers comes as Mr Trump weighs options for his war on Iran - including new strikes - despite his initial promises that the campaign would last a matter of weeks.

"We have decisions that I'll make about Iran. Iran's been decimated. So the only question is - it'll either be the easy way, or the hard way," Mr Trump told reporters on Saturday.

Sky News' US correspondent David Blevins, said the bombers' removal could signal a change in direction from the White House.

"Earlier this week President Trump suggested that the US and the UK had been working together on this counter-terror operation for some time," he said.

"If that's true, why has this decision only just been taken now? Some are suggesting it's because the US - under its commander-in-chief Donald Trump and the Pentagon - has decided to scale down the military operation in Iran and needed a reason to do so."

Defence and security editor Deborah Haynes said the US would "not have taken the decision lightly" adding: "Clearly there is still a threat ongoing around the base."

She said that the relationship between the UK and the US "remains very close" on an operational level.

"They're clearly wanting the UK base as their forward operating location to be able to conduct the operations," she added.

"If the decision's been taken that it's just not safe at the moment to have the bombers there - which clearly seems to have been the case, they've had to move them... you'd hope that at a working level there's understanding and trust in the counter terrorism police, the security services involved in this investigation."

(c) Sky News 2026: Removal of US bombers from RAF Fairford not directly connected to arrests, says Marco Rubio