Warning of a “Terrorist Attack”: State of Alert in American Bases in Europe
The United States put its military bases in Europe on high alert over the weekend in anticipation of a terrorist attack.
According to CNN, citing American officials, the United States put several of its military bases across Europe on high alert over the weekend.
The officials, whose identities were not disclosed by the network, added that the measure was accompanied by raising the force protection level to the second-highest level, amid fears that a terrorist attack might target American personnel or military installations.
The officials also said that the bases, including the U.S. Army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, where the U.S. European Command headquarters is located, raised the alert level to force protection condition “Charlie” on Sunday.
According to the U.S. Army, this condition applies “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.”
One American official stationed at a base in Europe said they had not seen this level of threat “in at least 10 years.”
He added that this usually means the military has received “an active and credible threat.”
When asked about this shift in military alert levels, U.S. European Command spokesman Commander Dan Day declined to comment on current force protection levels.
But he told CNN that the U.S. European Command “constantly evaluates a variety of factors affecting the safety of the U.S. military community overseas.”
He continued: “As part of this effort, we often take additional steps to ensure the safety of our service members. For operational security reasons, we will not go into specific measures, but we remain vigilant.”
Day added that “U.S. European Command continually monitors the security environment to ensure its personnel are informed and best positioned to ensure the safety of their members, families, and loved ones.”
As always, the U.S. command advises personnel in the European theater to “remain vigilant and alert at all times.”
According to the American network, it is unclear what intelligence led to the tightening of security measures.
Potential Threat
But European authorities have warned of a potential terrorist threat on the continent, especially ahead of the Paris Olympics in July and during the ongoing European Football Championship in Germany.
The German government brought in 580 international police officers to help with security alongside German officers.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said before the tournament: “We are preparing for all conceivable risks, from terrorism to violent criminals and hooligans.”
France is also preparing for a potential terrorist threat for the Olympics, which begin in less than a month.
The U.S. Embassy in France reported that Paris had raised its national security alert system to the highest level since March.
The embassy stated: “French authorities are actively monitoring terrorist threats from organized groups and lone extremists.”
