Several US military bases in Europe are under a heightened state of alert for a terrorist attack against US military personnel or installations, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday.
The bases include the U.S. Army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, where the headquarters of the U.S. European Command is located, which raised its alert level to Force Protection Condition “Charlie” on Sunday. two US officials told CNN.
This level is increased “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or an attack against personnel or facilities is likely,” according to the U.S. Army.
When reached for comment, U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) said it is “constantly evaluating a variety of factors” related to the security of U.S. military personnel abroad.
“As part of this effort, we often take additional measures to ensure the safety of our military personnel,” USEUCOM said, adding that it will not go into specific measures for “operational security reasons.”
“As always, USEUCOM advises personnel in the European theater to remain vigilant and alert at all times, including reporting suspicious activity, monitoring Department of State travel advisories, and implementing prudent personal risk mitigation measures. ”, he added.
One of the US officials, who was stationed at a European base, told CNN that he had not seen this level of threat “in at least 10 years”, adding that it often means the military has received an “active-credible threat”.
Independent military publication Stars and Stripes, who first reported development, said similar alerts were sent to other bases in Germany, including Rheinland-Pfalz Army Air Base and Ramstein. The alert for the Rheinland-Pfalz garrison also included Baumholder and outlying installations in Romania and Bulgaria.
Aviano Air Base, located in Italy, has seen its condition rise to Charlie level, and other facilities in Italy have beefed up security measures, according to Stars and Stripes.
ABC news also reported the changing terrorist threat, citing two US officials.
It was not immediately clear the nature of the intelligence that allegedly led to the increased security.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
