Fairford

The newspaper wrote that the new information was part of the same threat warnings from three weeks ago, but officials acted quickly after specific details emerged in the past 24 hours.

Ezra Cohen, who served as a defence official under Trump’s first administration, called the US’ decision “prudent”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “These are very, very unique platforms that aren’t being produced anymore, and we have a limited number of them. The B-1 bomber is a strategic asset, and we’re going to take steps to protect it from all sorts of threats.”

It is technically possible for the US to conduct precision strikes directly from the US without a UK base – like in Operation Midnight Hammer last year.

But the removal of the bombers from RAF Fairford will see the US lose a foothold for the country outside continental Europe.

Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson James MacCleary called the US’ decision to withdraw its bombers “deeply concerning” and called for the government to set out a plan to ensure the country’s military bases are “fit for purpose”.

Days after the incident at RAF Fairford, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran had played a part in the incident but did not provide further details, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Fox News that it “clearly involve[d] the hands of a foreign actor” without going into further details.

Tehran has strongly denied any involvement.

In July, Iran said “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.

RAF Fairford, near the village of Whelford in the Cotswolds, has been used as a forward operating location by the USAF for decades.

In recent months, the US has flown B-1 and B-52 bombers from the base for the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use it for defensive strikes on Iran.

Residents living close to RAF Fairford told the BBC of their relief at the departure of bombers from the airbase, with one local saying she was “thrilled,” citing the noise and feeling “increasingly vulnerable” in recent weeks.

Another villager, who said he has seen bombs being loaded aboard aircraft from his back garden, said he knew something was happening when he saw planes leaving “one, after another, after another” on Sunday.

One of five men arrested near RAF Fairford in the early hours of Sunday morning had dialled 999 himself, the BBC understands.

The suspect called the police at 00:45 BST, almost an hour before a female farmer also dialled 999 after seeing men in balaclavas.

The five were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later terrorism offences after three vans were spotted, sparking a major security incident around the Gloucestershire base which the US military operates.

They were released on bail on Monday in what police described as an “investigative decision” “grounded in experience and strategy”.

Police say a quantity of petrol but no explosive devices were found during searches of the vans.

Police were alerted to “three suspicious vehicles” in Whelford, a village which lies directly east of the base, by the farmer.

She told the BBC it was “pure luck” she had spotted them, having arrived home to find the road blocked and a “large group of hooded and masked men”.

“I believe that my 999 call foiled whatever plans they had,” she said.

A bomb disposal team arrived on scene shortly afterwards and a 400m (1,312ft) cordon was put in place.

But Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, told reporters on Tuesday that the police response that morning had been due to “a range of information”.

Police cordons near the base are expected to be completely lifted on Wednesday, while residents from the 85 homes evacuated on Sunday have been allowed to return to their properties.

The five men are all UK nationals aged between 23 and 25. Four of them live in Westminster and one in Camden, and searches of their homes are now complete.

Taylor previously said their bail was “subject to stringent conditions on their movement and contact with others” as they remained under investigation.

“The safety of the public is at the forefront of our investigative decision-making, and this was certainly the case yesterday,” he said on Tuesday.

“I understand why this development was surprising to some, but I would like to reiterate that this is an investigative decision and one which is grounded in experience and strategy.”

The RAF base has been used as a forward operating location by the US Air Force for decades.

In recent months, US bombers have taken off from the base for the Middle East, after the UK approved a US request to use it for defensive strikes on Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday told journalists he was “disappointed” the five men had been released on bail.

A local resident told the BBC she alerted the police to suspicious activity near the base early on Sunday.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said she initially called the Ministry of Defence (MoD) police but nobody answered, and then called 999. She said she had seen three parked vans and a group of men wearing masks.

The MoD declined to comment.

Several residents said they had been led from their homes in the early hours and evacuated to a leisure centre.

Julian Tudsbury said he was woken up at 07:00 by police banging on his door in Whelford, where 85 households were advised to evacuate.

“There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he said.

He said another local had seen three vehicles making their way to the base and called the police “straight away”.