NATO has raised the security level at its air base in the western German city of Geilenkirchen to the second-highest level, Charlie, following intelligence reports of a possible threat.
The security level for NATO air base Geilenkirchen was raised on Thursday following an unknown threat and remained in effect on Friday.
As a precaution, all employees not needed to operate the base north of Aachen have been sent home, base spokesman Christian Brett said.
“It’s pretty empty here,” he said Friday.
According to Brett, the all-clear has been given after a quiet night. He expects normal security measures to resume later today and the Charlie security level to be lowered back to Bravo.
Flights from the base are continuing as planned, he said.
AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft take off and land five days a week at the airbase, located on the German border with the Netherlands and close to Belgium.
NATO has 14 AWACS aircraft stationed at the base. There are two to three AWACS flights per day from Monday to Friday.
Brett said the decision to increase the security level Thursday night was based on intelligence that indicated a potential threat. However, he declined to provide further information about the nature or circumstances of the increased security.
However, he did reject speculation about possible drone overflights over the air base: “That is absurd.”
Overflight of the base is prohibited for unauthorized aircraft and the airspace is closely monitored. “Nothing has been flown over here yet,” Brett said.
In NATO terms, security level Charlie means that an incident has occurred or there is evidence indicating a high likelihood of terrorist action against the alliance.
The spokesman said there was no cause for concern and that it was purely a precautionary measure to ensure the continuity of critical operations. However, he added that such a threat level was unusual and had not occurred at the Geilenkirchen base for years.
According to Brett, there are about 1,600 people working at the base, but a significant number of employees are currently away on vacation. About half of the remaining employees are now home due to the alert level, although many are still working.
Meanwhile, police in Cologne, the nearest major city about 70 kilometres to the east, confirmed that an operation was underway involving the air base.
A police spokesman said Friday that local police are in contact with the competent national security and judicial authorities and with the security forces at the NATO base in Geilenkirchen.
He said the police support the security measures for the air base, which are coordinated by the international military police stationed there.
No further details can be given due to the ongoing investigation, said the Cologne police spokesman.
About a week ago, German military bases were put on heightened alert after damaged fences at drinking water supplies near two facilities raised concerns about possible sabotage.
However, these concerns were dismissed and the green light was given after police and security services investigated and found no evidence of problems.
There are no indications that the increased vigilance in Geilenkirchen is related to previous incidents at German bases.
Security sources told dpa that suspicious sightings have also been made in Geilenkirchen and that someone has now been arrested near the airport for questioning.
According to the sources, the suspicions against the arrested person have not been confirmed.
