DOMINANT ANGLE
Buenos Aires views the withdrawal of bombers from Fairford as a security episode shrouded in uncertainty: alleged plot, uncorroborated American version and stalled investigation.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
A Defense Department official confirmed Sunday that all bombers deployed to Fairford, B-1B Lancers (a dozen according to CNN), have returned to the United States; six B-52s had already done so by the end of September.
- 02
On September 27, five men were arrested near the base after three suspicious vehicles were reported; a sixth, a British-Iranian, was arrested in London on Thursday; all are out on bail, none have been charged.
- 03
According to Perfil, the withdrawal surprised British authorities, Washington maintains the existence of a plot and London asserts that the base's security is guaranteed.
ANALYSIS
Buenos Aires, October 6, 2026. The Argentine press is treating the withdrawal of US bombers from RAF Fairford as a security episode shrouded in uncertainty. Perfil, via its correspondent in the United Kingdom Enrique Zattara in "Ronda de Corresponsales", reports that the US Air Force has withdrawn the 12 aircraft installed in the British base, in a "preemptive" manner according to the explanation attributed to the American government, which claims to have information about a threat.
According to this account, the departure took place on Sunday and caught the British authorities by surprise: Washington had not officially communicated its decision to London before it became known, with the first information coming from the media and leaks attributed to anonymous Pentagon officials. Zattara emphasizes that the investigation has not yielded any substantial progress. He adds that the American government "continues to assert" that it had information and that the plot to blow up the base did indeed exist. For its part, London assures that the security of the base and neighboring towns is guaranteed.
MercoPress, in English, provides the factual context. A Defense Department official confirmed on Sunday that all the bombers deployed to Fairford, B-1B Lancers, a dozen according to CNN, had returned to their bases in the United States; six B-52s had already returned at the end of September. Washington has given no public reason, notes the media. Since March, bombers have been operating from this base in the war against Iran, with London having approved its use for what it called defensive strikes.
On September 27, five men were arrested near the base after three suspicious vehicles were reported, and a sixth, with dual British and Iranian nationality, was arrested in London on Thursday. All are on bail and none have been charged. Washington has publicly criticized this release, which Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended by citing strict conditions. Burnham mentions strong indications of an Iranian role, without details; Tehran denies any involvement. London had not commented on the withdrawal at the time of writing.
The Argentine corpus thus focuses on the security aspect: the alleged threat, the release of the suspects, the British guarantee.
