By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) - The reason behind the temporary increase in security at the NATO air force base in the western town of Geilenkirchen was intelligence information about a possible threat from a Russian act of sabotage, a press report said Monday.
German Press Agency (dpa) cited German security circles as saying that there had been a serious indication from a foreign intelligence service “of preparatory actions for a likely Russian act of sabotage against the NATO base through the use of a drone.”
Last week, the second-highest security level was in effect for almost 24 hours due to a possible threat at the NATO base in North Rhine-Westphalia. After nothing happened, the security precautions were reduced on Friday afternoon to the level that had previously applied, the so-called level Bravo+.
Previously, all non-essential employees had been sent home because of the secret service tip. In NATO jargon, the second-highest security level, Charlie, means that an incident has occurred or there is evidence that some form of terrorist action against the alliance is likely.
- Security alert due to terrorist threat
The NATO airport in Geilenkirchen is the main base for Awacs special aircraft, which are used primarily to monitor the airspace in the eastern alliance area. With their mushroom-shaped radar structure, the machines are able to locate and identify other aircraft more than 400 kilometers away.
According to an unnamed NATO spokesman, around 1,600 people normally work at the NATO airfield. However, there are currently significantly fewer, as Awacs have only been taking off from two airports in Türkiye and Norway since Monday.
The background to the relocation is not the threat situation, but rather a long-planned break in operations in Geilenkirchen for organizational reasons, NATO said.
Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry spokesman Arne Collatz did not want to comment on the report on possible Russian attack plans against the location in Germany on Monday. According to him, no drones have been spotted in the airspace over the airport so far.
According to media reports, there was already a heightened state of alert due to the threat of terrorism in July at US military bases in Germany and other European countries.
The Pentagon had declared the second highest security level, Charlie, at the bases, US broadcaster CNN reported at the time, citing two unnamed government representatives. The nature of the alleged threat remained unclear.
In July, Germany’s domestic secret service warned of an increase in alleged Russian sabotage activities in Europe and said it has indications that Russian intelligence services are specifically evaluating the social media profiles of employees of German companies.
“The aim is said to have been to identify people who could be susceptible to Russian attempts to influence or initiate,” said a current security note from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The extent of Russian acts of sabotage in Europe depends on the development of the situation in the Ukraine war and on the development of the conflict between Russia and the West, according to the German Press Agency.
The German intelligence agency’s security advisory for the economy said: "The cases observed across Europe since 2023 as well as increased indications of possible activities in Germany are currently leading to an adjusted assessment: There is an increased risk in relation to sabotage activities or corresponding preparatory actions in Germany."
- Cyberattacks on websites
At the same time, according to the German Press Agency, cyberattacks by pro-Russian hackers continue to be detected on the websites of German authorities and companies. So far, the effects of such attacks by “hacktivism groups” have usually been limited in time and the affected websites have only been temporarily unavailable, it said.
In other European countries, several cases of arson or attempted arson are currently being investigated. Investigations are also underway into vandalism and propaganda activities.
Last month, US intelligence agencies discovered that the Russian government planned to assassinate the chief executive of a powerful German arms manufacturer that has reportedly been producing artillery shells and military vehicles for Ukraine.