The US military has raised the alert level of several of its bases across Europe to the second highest level, a move not seen in “at least ten years”.
According to several publications, the “Charlie” alert level was declared over the weekend at the US garrison in Stuttgart, Germany, at the American military headquarters in Europe, at bases in Rhineland-Palatinate and Ramstein, and at the Italian air force base in Aviano.
According to the US Army, the “Charlie” threat level only applies “if an incident occurs or intelligence information is available indicating a terrorist act or an attack on personnel or facilities.”
Why the four bases, which together form the largest U.S. military community abroad, have increased their threat level is currently unknown.
However, a US official told CNN that they had not seen a threat level this high “in at least 10 years,” adding that this usually means the military is aware of an “active, reliable threat.”
At Ramstein Air Base (pictured), the alert level was raised to “Charlie”, the second highest level
The continent has been on high alert for terrorism for months
In addition to the formally raised alert level, Spangdahlem Air Base in West Germany told soldiers of its 52nd Fighter Aviation Unit that they were prohibited from wearing their uniforms outside the base and must go to work in civilian clothes, military publication Stars and Stripes reported.
The continent has been on heightened alert for terrorist attacks for months.
In March, French President Emmanuel Macron raised his country’s terror alert level to the highest after announcing that the IS affiliate that killed hundreds of people in Moscow had attempted to carry out “several” attacks in France.
France’s security alert system Vigipirate was upgraded to the highest level months ago, where it remains to this day, after Macron called an emergency meeting to discuss the already tense security situation in the country, which is preparing to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
He revealed that ISIS-K, the ultra-brutal ISIS offshoot that Western intelligence agencies believe carried out the Moscow attack, “has tried several times to attack France.”
The current terror alert level in the United Kingdom is “significant,” the third highest of five levels.
According to MI5, this means that an “attack is likely.” In October, British intelligence chiefs considered raising the level even further to “severe” after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.
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