The U.S. military moved nine Stratotanker refueling planes from a base in England to facilities in Germany and Spain on Monday, and The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying they had been repositioned due to a threat from Iran.
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they → move → Iran
It is unclear whether the threat was imminent or general, the sources told the newspaper.
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sources → tell → newspaper
CBS News Confirmed found public aircraft tracking data showing 10 KC-135 Stratotankers were moved from Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, in southeast England to other locations.
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Stratotankers → confirm → locations
One landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, while four went to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and one landed at Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters of the U.S. Forces Europe, also in Germany.
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one → land → Germany
Four more Stratotankers left Mildenhall and arrived Monday at Morón Air Base in southern Spain.
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Stratotankers → leave → Spain
"We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure," a U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday, without commenting on specific aircraft movements.
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official → take → movements
Three U.S. Osprey tiltrotor transport planes also departed RAF Mildenhall and arrived Tuesday at RAF Lakenheath, another base used by the U.S. in England.
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planes → depart → England
It is unclear whether all of the movements were linked to the reported threat from Iran.
uncertain
all → link → Iran
A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told CBS News that aircraft routinely "rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements."
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aircraft → tell → training
The spokesman added that "U.S. military aircraft are hosted in accordance with access, basing, and overflight agreements with our Allies and partners.
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aircraft → add → Allies
Due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets."
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we → provide → assets
The U.S. Air Force 100th Air Refueling Wing, which has been based at RAF Mildenhall for years, did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment on the aircraft movements.
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which → base → movements
The relocation of the aircraft comes just over a month after the U.S. Air Force
all of its long-range bombers from RAF Fairford, another air base in England that had been used to launch strikes on Iran, following a security incident there.
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that → come → incident
The suspects were later released on bail.
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suspects → release → bail
Mohmed Abdulkarim, 24, was charged with "assisting a foreign intelligence service" and "engaging in conduct that was likely to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out U.K.-related activities."
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that → charge → activities
Nouman Essghir, also 24, was charged with a national security offense after he "approached or was in the vicinity of a prohibited place and his conduct was for a purpose that he knew, or having regards to other matters known to him ought reasonably to have known, was prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom."
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having → charge → Kingdom
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said at the time that Iran was believed to have "played a part" in the September incident, though he did not provide any details.
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he → say → details
"There are strong indications that Iran played a part in what happened over the weekend at RAF Fairford, but of course it remains an ongoing, complex and serious police investigation, and of course we are working closely with our colleagues in the United States of America," Burnham told the BBC in October.
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Burnham → be → October
U.K. counterterrorism police said no explosives were found in extensive searches of the three vehicles operated by the men arrested near RAF Fairford, only some fuel and a number of large, mostly empty plastic drums.
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explosives → say → drums
The Aporia
