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Several U.S. military bases in Europe have been placed on heightened alert over possible terrorist attacks, with Army officials elevating their protection level to condition “Charlie” until further notice.
Threat condition “Charlie” indicates military officials received intelligence indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting of U.S. personnel or facilities is likely, according to the Army’s website.
Some U.S. bases in Europe issued community alerts, including the Army’s Rheinland-Pfalz and Ramstein Air Base, which form the largest U.S. military communities overseas.
On Sunday, officials with U.S. European Command would not detail what prompted the decision to raise the security levels, telling news outlets that they are “constantly assessing a variety of factors” that play into the safety of overseas U.S. military communities. The Pentagon on Monday said the move was not linked to one specific threat.
“U.S. European Command is taking steps to increase vigilance for our service members, their families and our facilities,” Pentagon Deputy Press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at the Pentagon in a Monday briefing. “This was done out of an abundance of caution. I won’t get into more specifics.”
However, European officials have warned of potential terror threats ahead of the Paris Olympics set to begin this month and the current European soccer championship being held in Germany.
“There are a combination of factors, including events that are taking place in the theater that, just out of due diligence, it is good to make sure that our service members are taking the precautionary measures that they need for themselves and their families,” Ms. Singh said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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