US removes B-1 bombers from UK base amid security concerns

NEW YORK — The United States removed its B-1 bombers from a U.K. air base one week after several men were arrested there on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, a Pentagon official said on Sunday.

A dozen B-1 bombers were stationed at RAF Fairford air base, located northwest of London. The planes had been used for U.S. strikes on Iran.

“While operational security precluded us from confirming the movement of our assets and forces in real-time, we can acknowledge now that all US bombers that were deployed to RAF Fairford have re-deployed to their home stations in the United States,” a Pentagon spokesman wrote in an email.

Britain has “strong indications” that Iran was involved in a suspected plot targeting the base, Prime Minister Andy ​Burnham said on Wednesday. Iran said accusations linking Tehran to the alleged plan were baseless and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over the issue.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that the aircraft were removed from the base amid security concerns over suspected terror plots against the facility.

The British government had allowed the U.S. to use bombers based at Fairford to strike Iranian missile sites that were attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump said those involved in the plot had planned “big damage” while US ​Secretary of State Marco Rubio also pointed to the “hands of a foreign actor.”

纽约——五角大楼一名官员周日表示，美国已将B-1轰炸机从英国的一个空军基地撤走，此前一周，几名男子因涉嫌策划恐怖袭击在该基地被捕。

十几架B-1轰炸机驻扎在位于伦敦西北部的费尔福德皇家空军基地。这些飞机曾被用于美国对伊朗的空袭。

五角大楼发言人在一封电子邮件中写道：“虽然出于行动安全考虑，我们无法实时确认我们的资产和部队的调动情况，但我们现在可以确认，所有部署到英国皇家空军费尔福德基地的美国轰炸机都已重新部署到其在美国的驻地。”

英国首相安迪·伯纳姆周三表示，英国有“强有力的迹象”表明伊朗参与了一起疑似针对该基地的阴谋。伊朗方面则称，将德黑兰与该计划联系起来的指控毫无根据，并就此事召见了英国驻德黑兰大使。

《华尔街日报》率先报道称，由于担心该基地可能遭受恐怖袭击，出于安全考虑，这些飞机已从基地撤离。

英国政府允许美国使用驻扎在费尔福德的轰炸机袭击在霍尔木兹海峡袭击船只的伊朗导弹基地。

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，参与该阴谋的人计划造成“巨大破坏”，而美国国务卿马可·卢比奥也指出这是“外国势力所为”。