U.S. withdraws bombers from RAF Fairford

FAIRFORD, England (NBC, KYMA) - The U.S. has withdrawn its bombers stationed at a U.S. run military air base in England used to strike Iran, as police investigate whether a suspected terror plot at the base is linked to Iran.

Five men were detained shortly after midnight on September 27, on suspected explosives and terrorism offenses after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford.

The U.K. owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the ongoing Iran war.

A sixth suspect, a British-Iranian dual national, was arrested several days later. All the men have been released on bail.

Police earlier said they did not find any explosives in the vans that sparked the security alert. The developments have led to confusion about what exactly happened at the air base.

British authorities have linked the incident to Tehran, Iran has denied involvement.

RAF Fairford houses the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force's 501st combat support wing and is a forward operating location for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.

The base was used during the 1990 Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq war and the U.S.-Israeli bombardment of Iran this year.

Iran has previously said it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.