Multiple U.S. military bases in Europe had their threat assessment levels heightened amid concerns of a possible terrorist attack.
The bases raised the alert level to condition “Charlie” on Sunday, CNN reported, which “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely,” according to the Army.
Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters the decision was made out of an “abundance of caution” that was driven by a “combination of factors,” including the major sporting events going on and coming up in the region. She said it wasn’t a “single threat” that spurred the raised security level.
Cmdr. Dan Day, a spokesman for U.S. European Command, said USEUCOM is “constantly assessing a variety of factors that play into the safety of U.S. military community abroad. As part of that effort, we oftentimes take additional steps to ensure the safety of our service members. For operational security reasons, we will not get into specific measures, but we remain vigilant.”
The threat level was raised at USEUCOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany; Ramstein Air Base in Rheinland-Pfalz, which includes outlying installations in Romania and Bulgaria; and Aviano Air Base in Italy, according to Stars and Stripes.
It’s unclear what exactly prompted the raised threat level or how long it would stay in place, though European authorities have warned of possible attacks ahead of the Paris Olympics, which are set to begin later this month, and the European soccer championships in Germany.
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The military force protection levels from least severe to most are Normal, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta, the highest state of alert.
The Delta level “applies in the immediate area where a terrorist attack has occurred or when intelligence has been received that terrorist action against a specific location or person is imminent,” and it is “usually declared as a localized condition.”