What makes attack on France so disturbing: simplicity
Jul 15, 2016, 12:48 PM | Updated: 12:49 pm
What makes the attack on Nice, France that killed more than 80 people so terrifying is how simple it was, and while there weren’t any immediate connections to a specific terrorist organization, CBS News Military Analyst Mike Lyons says it is something you could find in an ISIS manual.
Tactics involving the use of large vehicles driving into crowds of people have been published before, Lyons told KIRO Radio. And it shows how creative terrorists could be.
“Right now, these terrorists remain more creative in terms of how they can think to turn these weapons against us,” he said, adding that law enforcement abroad might not be thinking thoroughly about safety or potential dangers.
If a large truck was left in a street that was supposed to be closed off for an extended period of time in Seattle or New York, for example, Lyons said there’s less chance law enforcement would ignore it.
“Someone would have knocked on the window of the truck and checked on it,” he added. “I think going forward, they will recognize it as a possibility and create a bigger safety zone.”
Both presidential candidates weighed in on the attacks. It was Donald Trump who made the bolder statement.
Four more years of weakness with a Crooked Hillary Administration is not acceptable. Look what has happened to the world with O & Hillary!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2016
In addition to his attack on Clinton, Trump had a “gut reaction” to declare war on ISIS. KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross wonders if it will take a war-style response to stop terrorism.
Lyons says “we need to go after” terrorist cells in “a way we’re not doing right now.” President of Syria Bashar al-Assad has even said that the U.S. does not take defeating ISIS seriously. Lyons says if the U.S. wanted to, it could “flatten” Al-Raqqah — the so-called capital of ISIS.
“We’re just not willing to take any kind of collateral damage,” he added.
And justifiably so, Dave says.
“We’re talking 30,000 civilians,” he estimated. And, “The problem with that is you’ve just given more reasons for some lone wolf — like this nut in Nice — to grow resentful and say, well, if they can murder 30,000 of [my people], what’s the problem with driving a truck through a crowd.”
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
