Threats On US Bases Overseas, France Student Protest, German Spy Arrest

A Martínez (0:02)

The US pulled all of its bombers out of a British airbase over a credible threat linked to Iran.

Michel Martin (0:07)

Officials feared a possible drone strike at the base, near where five masked men were arrested last week. How exposed are American forces overseas?

A Martínez (0:15)

I'm A Martinez, that is Michel Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. Crumbling schools and teacher shortages in France sparked hundreds of thousands to march. The protests have spread nationwide, pride police clashed with students. How did a fight over education get this far?

Michel Martin (0:32)

And Germany's former spy chief has been arrested on suspicion of treason. Prosecutors say he passed secrets to a foreign government. We have the details of the allegations. Stay with us, we'll give you news you need to start your day.

We have new information about events connected to the British air base used by American bombers near where five men were arrested last week in a suspected terror plot.

A Martínez (0:59)

All of the US long-range bombers that were at that base were brought home over the weekend because of a threat of a possible attack by Iran.

Michel Martin (1:07)

For the latest, we're joined by NPR national security correspondent, Greg Myrie. Greg, good morning.

Greg Myrie (1:11)

Hi, Michelle.

Michel Martin (1:12)

Do we know what kind of threat Iran was posing?

Greg Myrie (1:15)

Yeah, a US official who's not authorized to speak publicly told NPR a credible threat linked to Iran was the reason the US decided to abruptly remove a dozen B-1 bombers from this Royal Air Force base, Fairford, in the southwest part of the country.

This threat potentially involved a drone attack. The US planes were flown out Sunday. They've returned to home bases in the US. And these are long-range bombers that were part of a larger contingent of US warplanes that used this British base in recent months to carry out air strikes in Iran. The other planes had already left.

Michel Martin (1:51)

And as we mentioned, this all began last week. Are there any updates on that investigation in Britain?

Greg Myrie (1:57)

Yeah, one more man was arrested Tuesday. He was the seventh to be picked up since this all began on September 27th. That's when British police arrested five young men traveling in white vans near the air base in a rural area in the middle of the night. Now, no weapons were found in the vans. And a few days after that, a six man was detained. But they've all been released on bail. And no one has been charged at this point. Now, President Trump and Britain's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, have both said there's a possible link to Iran, but they haven't provided details. Iran, for its part, has denied any involvement.

Michel Martin (2:32)

So it sounds like there's still a lot that we want to know. But have we seen anything similar in the past?

Greg Myrie (2:38)

You know, Michel, last year, Ukraine smuggled drones into Russia. It hid them inside small mobile homes on the back of trucks that parked near several Russian air bases with long-range bombers. And then by remote control, Ukraine launched the drones that hit the Russian planes.

20 to 40 of them were damaged or destroyed. This was a significant portion of Russia's long-range bomber fleet. And this attack certainly grabbed the attention of the US., which realized US planes could also be vulnerable to a similar surprise attack.

Michel Martin (3:12)

So are US military bases at home and abroad now considered more vulnerable than in the past?

Greg Myrie (3:19)

Absolutely, yes. The war with Iran has driven this home in multiple ways. Iranian drones and missiles have hit US bases throughout the Middle East. Perhaps the most serious attack was on the very large US naval base in Bahrain. And so for the past three decades, the US has built many bases in the region. The idea was to provide some level of protections for US allies there.

Michel Martin (3:43)

So is the US rethinking this arrangement?

Greg Myrie (3:46)

Yeah, absolutely. The drone threat has really flipped the thinking in many ways. The US has a constellation of military bases that all have to be defended. And this is very complicated and expensive.

This discussion was already taking place about the possible future arrangement for US bases in the Middle East. And now we're learning that US planes operating in Britain were facing some sort of threat as well. And just a quick reminder, the US has hundreds of military bases outside the US. Now all of them have to worry about drone attacks.

Michel Martin (4:20)