The New Orleans terror attack that left 15 people dead has drawn fresh attention to the risk people face when in the middle of crowds in public spaces, especially during major outdoor events. Authorities believe Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a pickup bearing an ISIS flag into mobs of revelers during the annual New Years celebration. The military veteran was killed in a gun battle with police. It was far from the only time that assailants have victimized people gathered in outdoor venues, the Baltimore Sun reports. On April 15, 2013, two terrorists inspired by an al-Qaeda online newsletter planted bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds more. On Oct. 1, 2017, a 64-year-old gunman opened fire from the 32nd floor of a hotel onto a crowd of people attending a music festival in Las Vegas, killing 60 and wounding more than 400.
Vehicle attacks like the one in New Orleans have become a more popular tactic for terrorists. The deadliest such assault occurred when a Tunisian-born French resident drove a rented truck along a packed seaside promenade in Nice, France, on Bastille Day in 2016, killing 86. An ISIS supporter rammed pedestrians on a New York City bike path the following year, leaving 8 dead. Keeping public events safe is such a complex proposition that it’s all but impossible to achieve that goal perfectly, says Brian Nussbaum, an assistant professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the State University of New York at Albany. He says vehicle attacks “are not entirely unpreventable, but they’re very, very tough to prevent. They even take place in police states like China, where surveillance is a lot more pervasive than it is here. In a free society, they’re probably not a risk that can be eliminated.” So-called soft targets are plentiful. even when it comes to sizable events: The spaces involved can be spread out, potential terrorists have a range of approaches to choose from, and public-safety resources have their limits.
Commenti