The authorities in Britain said on Monday that they were treating an early morning attack near a mosque in London as a possible act of terrorism, amid fears of retaliatory attacks after several recent assaults attributed to Islamist extremists in the country.
An eyewitness said the attacker, deliberately targeting worshippers leaving the mosque after midnight, shouted: “I want to kill all Muslims” as he rammed his vehicle into the pedestrians.
“Due to the nature of this incident, extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan,” the police statement concluded.
The 48-year-old man was arrested by the police on suspicion of attempted murder.
“One man was pronounced dead at the scene… Eight people injured were taken to three separate hospitals,” police said in a statement, adding that two other people were treated for minor injuries.
Police said the driver had also been taken to the hospital and would receive a mental health assessment.
“Due to the nature of this incident, extra policing resources have been deployed in order to reassure communities, especially those observing Ramadan,” the police statement concluded.
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The UK at the target of terrorists
Britain has been roiled by a series of calamities that have tested the nation’s resilience. In March, an assailant mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and stabbed a police officer outside Parliament.
The latest terrorist attack in London has increased the pressure on the already overstretched Metropolitan police. The previous attacks resulted in the initiation of a verbal spat between London’s mayor Sadiq Khan and US President Donald Trump.
In May, at least 22 people were killed at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, including many teenagers and an 8-year-old girl.
In early June, at least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded after two men sped across London Bridge in a white van, ramming numerous pedestrians before emerging with large hunting knives for a rampage in Borough Market, a crowded nightspot.
The latest terrorist attack in London has increased the pressure on the already overstretched Metropolitan police. The previous attacks resulted in the initiation of a verbal spat between London’s mayor Sadiq Khan and US President Donald Trump.
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Is the European mainland not safe from terror attacks anymore?
Beginning from Paris attacks in 2015 in which more than 130 people were killed, Europe has seen an upsurge of lone wolf attacks in addition to a few coordinated ones. Most of these terrorist attacks have been attributed to the Islamist militants.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticized by her European counterparts, especially the British, for exposing Europe to the threat of terrorism by allowing massive entry of refugees into her country.
This recent wave of terrorism in Europe comes in the wake of an upsurge in violence in the Middle East. Europe has also faced the biggest refugee crisis in several decades. Tens of thousands of refugees flooded mainland Europe which resulted in the closure of borders by several European states.
Many western observers have iterated that the entry of thousands of unregistered refugees into mainland Europe has increased the vulnerability of Europe to terror attacks and has exacerbated the economic pressure on many European countries. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticized by her European counterparts, especially the British, for exposing Europe to the threat of terrorism by allowing massive entry of refugees into her country.
The attacks in France, Belgium, Germany, and the UK indicate that Europe is not safe from terror attacks anymore and needs a revised strategy to counter this menace.
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The new weapon at terrorist’s disposal
As the threat dawn upon Europe, it is time to initially devise tactical concepts for stopping these attacks. With modern police at the disposal, the United Kingdom will not find it difficult to deal with the issue at this level. However, this should be the start of a putting in place a comprehensive CT strategy for future eventualities.
It is not easy to possess a weapon in Europe. This encouraged the terrorist to innovate and devise new tactics to carry out their heinous terror attacks on unsuspecting civilians. The new weapon at the disposal of terrorist which has proven as deadly as any other weapon is a vehicle; a van, a car or a truck. The terrorists have used it to ram it into the pedestrians at high speed with deadly efficiency.
The new weapon appears to have caught the European security establishment off guard and it seems helpless to devise a strategy to counter this new weapon. The use of this vehicle do not need training or any planning and is an effective weapon for lone wolf attackers. As the threat dawn upon Europe, it is time to initially devise tactical concepts for stopping these attacks. With modern police at the disposal, the United Kingdom will not find it difficult to deal with the issue at this level. However, this should be the start of a putting in place a comprehensive CT strategy for future eventualities.