Terrorism Incident in London on March 22nd

Today marks the one year anniversary of the bombing in the Brussels airport that killed 32 people.  Although it’s been more than a decade since the London subway bombings that killed 52 people, Londoners fears were renewed on March 22nd with their country’s latest terrorist attack.

A lone man armed with a knife drove a sports utility vehicle across Westminster bridge running people over in the same fashion as the truck driver in Nice, France, last July.  In today’s attack, five people were killed, including the terrorist.  Details are still emerging and it is still unclear which terrorist organization, if any, is behind this latest attack.

What is also unknown at this time is the motive.  It is too early to surmise Khalid Masood’s intentions and whether the attacker was affiliated with an organization or not.  However so many of the attacks over the last two decades have been carried out by Islamic extremists.  It appears that the intent of the attacks is to scare and threaten people to stop travelling and using mass transit.

I interviewed Sara Holley who has living in England for the last nine years, just recently returning home to Wisconsin to see how she feels. Holley says, “I am angry that bitter people are attacking innocent people for reasons that I just can’t comprehend. The bridge area where this happened is such a bustling spot. Every visitor to London has stood exactly where it happened and looked up at Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. School children pass that way all throughout the day. It is frightening to think how many times I have stood there with my kids for class trips. Somehow, the attack occurring in London is worse for me because I can recall so many times that I brought people to that area. How tragic to think that I could have endangered friends by showing them my favorite city sites. London is a very resilient town. Up until recently, they did not have garbage cans on streets because they still remembered the Irish bombings that occurred in the 70’s. People go about their business and won’t be deterred by fear. WWII is also a very dominant part of British society and keep calm and carry on is more than just a quote on a coffee mug. It is truly their nature to just get on with things. I know there will be diligence on the part of law enforcement to find and prosecute those involved. I am glad for my friends that still reside there that British laws do not tolerate violence toward its people and those deemed a risk will be removed from the country.”

A lot of people have been affected by today’s attack.  It is not hard to imagine the sheer terror the victims and witnesses felt today.  It is not hard to imagine the pain and suffering the victim’s loved ones are feeling at this time.  It is not hard to imagine the worry felt by people everywhere as they go about the simple business of living their lives.