Terror tactics – Targeting public spaces
Exploiting the intrinsic vulnerabilities of so-called "soft targets" that result from their ready access and public character:
E.g. pedestrian precincts, tourist sites, transport hubs, shopping malls, outdoor markets, concert halls and city squares, as seen in attacks in, for example, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, Manchester, Nice and Stockholm.
E.g. pedestrian precincts, tourist sites, transport hubs, shopping malls, outdoor markets, concert halls and city squares, as seen in attacks in, for example, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, Manchester, Nice and Stockholm.
Complex "high intensity" attacks combining explosives and firearms;
“Low tech" attacks against public spaces carried out with everyday items such as a vehicle for ramming or a knife for stabbing.
Targets often chosen with the intent to causing mass casualties.
“Low tech" attacks against public spaces carried out with everyday items such as a vehicle for ramming or a knife for stabbing.
Targets often chosen with the intent to causing mass casualties.
Challenges to protecting public spaces:
Broad variety of public places that have been or could be targeted: their different characteristics ranging from fully open spaces to areas with some form of protection;
Variety of actors involved in the protection of such sites;
Risk of mass casualties; and the Imperative to strike a balance between improving security and preserving the open nature of public spaces, ensuring that citizens can continue their daily lives.
Broad variety of public places that have been or could be targeted: their different characteristics ranging from fully open spaces to areas with some form of protection;
Variety of actors involved in the protection of such sites;
Risk of mass casualties; and the Imperative to strike a balance between improving security and preserving the open nature of public spaces, ensuring that citizens can continue their daily lives.
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