Alert at NATO base in Germany was due to drone threat, source says

BERLIN, Aug 26: Last week's alert at a NATO base in Germany housing the Western alliance's fleet of AWACS surveillance planes was due to a potential drone threat, a security source said on Monday.

Geilenkirchen air base in western Germany raised its security level to "Charlie" - the second highest of four - during most of Friday.

German news agency dpa, citing security sources, said there had been a tip-off from a foreign intelligence service about a possible Russian act of sabotage.
But the security source told Reuters no drones had been seen and could not confirm any evidence of a Russian role.

"The word Russia was never mentioned. We talked about a threat caused by drones," added a NATO spokesperson at Geilenkirchen.    —REUTERS