Several US military bases across Europe have been placed on a heightened state of alert due to concerns over a potential "terrorist" threat.
According to two US officials, the level of force protection was raised to its second-highest state, "Charlie," on Sunday. This status "applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely," as per the US Army.
Among the bases affected is the US Army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, which houses the United States European Command (USEUCOM).
CNN quoted one of the US officials, stationed at a base in Europe, as saying they haven't seen this threat level "in at least 10 years," indicating that the military has received an "active-reliable threat."
A spokesperson for USEUCOM stated that the command is "constantly assessing a variety of factors that play into the safety of the US military community abroad. As part of that effort, we often take additional steps to ensure the safety of our service members." For operational security reasons, they did not disclose specific measures but emphasized their vigilance.
The specific intelligence triggering the heightened alert remains undisclosed. However, this state of alert coincides with heightened security measures for European sporting events threatened by terrorism.
Germany has bolstered its defenses ahead of the ongoing European football championships, deploying 580 international police officers to assist with security alongside German officers. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that the focus is "above all" on the threat of terrorism following calls by the Daesh terrorist group for attacks during the tournament.
Similarly, the Paris Olympics are also under threat. Last month, The National reported that Daesh terrorists had published "detailed" manuals for adapting drones to attack the games. The US embassy in France confirmed that the European country has raised its national security alert system to the highest level since March. The embassy warned that "attacks may happen with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, major sporting and cultural events, and other public areas that attract large numbers of civilians."
