The terrorism alarm is raised in US bases in Europe, against the backdrop of the European football championships in Germany and the Olympics in France.
Several US military bases on the old continent were placed on high alert over the weekend, with protection raised to the second highest level, "Charlie". This status “applies when an incident occurs or information is received indicating that some form of terrorist action or attack against personnel or facilities is likely.”
An American leader, stationed at a base in Europe, told CNN that this level of threat had not been seen "for at least 10 years", and explained that it usually means that the military has received a "reliable active threat". .
Among the facilities that went on alert is the US Army garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, where the US European Command (Useucom) is based. A spokesman for him, Dan Day, declined to comment on specific levels of protection but told CNN that the command "continuously evaluates a variety of factors that impact the security of the U.S. military community abroad. As part of this commitment, we often take additional measures to ensure the safety of our staff. For operational security reasons we will not go into specific measures, but we will remain vigilant."
It's unclear what intelligence triggered the security tightening , but European authorities have warned of one potential terrorist threat on the continent, especially in view of the Paris Olympics in July and during the current European football championships in Germany .
The German government has mobilized 580 international police officers to provide security together with German law enforcement agencies.
“We are preparing for all imaginable dangers: from Islamic terrorism to violent criminals and hooligans,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said before the tournament. France has also been preparing for the possibility of a potential terrorist threat at the Olympic Games, which begin in just under a month.
Since March, Paris has raised its national security alert system to the highest level , according to the U.S. Embassy in France. “French authorities are actively monitoring terrorist threats from organized groups and radicalized individuals,” the US embassy said. "Attacks - he warned - can take place with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, important sporting and cultural events and other public areas that attract large numbers of civilians."
(Unioneonline/vl)
