DOMINANT ANGLE
Ankara is first focusing on the security dimension: a presumed plot linked to Iran, American bombers being brought back, and a London that repeats the base is safe.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
A Pentagon official confirmed that all US bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have returned to their bases in the United States (Daily Sabah, Cumhuriyet).
- 02
On September 27, an alert near the base led to an anti-terrorist investigation and the evacuation of 85 homes; the vehicles did not contain explosives, but gasoline (Daily Sabah).
- 03
Donald Trump says the threats could be linked to Iran and that if Tehran sent drones, it will pay "a heavy price" (Cumhuriyet).
ANALYSIS
Ankara, October 6, 2026. Daily Sabah reports on the withdrawal of all B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in England, motivated by "new threats", while the British government assured on Monday that the site was safe. The newspaper recalls that the police were called to the base on September 27 after a farmer reported a group of men and several vans with "suspicious" activity. The alert triggered an anti-terrorist investigation and the evacuation of 85 neighboring homes near the base, used by the United States for strikes against Iran.
The newspaper details what investigators found: no explosives in the vehicles, but "a quantity of petrol was recovered", according to the anti-terrorist police. It quotes a Pentagon statement on Sunday, indicating that all bombers deployed to Fairford have returned to their bases in the United States, with operational security prohibiting confirmation of movements in real-time. It relays CNN, which speaks of a "real incident" and a return to original bases rather than a regional redeployment, deemed unusual, as well as the New York Times, which reports that commanders would have received new information about a plot supported by Iran. Asked about the safety of the site, British Prime Minister's spokesman Andy Burnham simply replies: "Yes".
Cumhuriyet highlights Donald Trump's statement, made as he left the White House before a trip to Nebraska. The American president says there were "threats", that the aircraft were moved "not very far" and that it costs "very little money". On the origin of the threat, he estimates that it "could be linked to Iran". When asked by a journalist if the withdrawal was in response to the introduction of attack drones in England, he replies: "I cannot say, but if they did, they will pay a heavy price." He also mentions the attempted hijacking of an Israeli plane, for which Iran could be responsible. The newspaper reiterates the Pentagon's confirmation to the Wall Street Journal.
The Turkish press presents the case as an episode in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, seen from an allied base in Europe. The two articles rely mainly on American sources, official or anonymous; Tehran's position, the differences within the American administration, and the judicial situation of the suspects are not mentioned in the provided excerpts.
