Terror alert - trip to London

[Rainydayss]

Has the recent news made you anxious about going to big cities? I'm due to go to London the end of this week and I feel uneasy about it, I cant decide if to go.

@Anycolourwilldo interesting questions actually! The JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre) review the intelligence (looking at present and future threat), known people, consider what they don't know (but suspect), what's happened in the past etc and make an assessment of it all, and looking at the likelihood of imminent attacks.

www.mi5.gov.uk/threat-levels

I work in an allied field, and I find it fascinating. And yes, one attack is liable to trigger another, but we don't get to hear much of what goes on as so much is dealt with before it happens.....

@Noavocado well, I've hunted the paper, the news, social media (esp Twitter) and not seen a word of this. What are you reading?

@Noavocado well, I've hunted the paper, the news, social media (esp Twitter) and not seen a word of this. What are you reading

The Express???

@Rainydayss

Some of you are brutal, I have got a grip thank you Redroseblue for your not very helpful comment. Im entitled to be anxious and see if anyone else is.

But Londoners are just advising you not to be anxious... You seem determined to hang on to your entitlement, though; so I'm not sure what help you expect.

@DillonPanthersTexas still getting nothing. The Daily Express? (although no one takes that tag seriously do they?)

The verified information that we have about the bomber is:

HIs name was Emad al Swealmeen
He is 32 years old
He was born in Iraq and his father came from Syria
He arrived in the UK in 2014 via Dubai seeking asylum
He began to attend Liverpool Cathedral and converted to Christianity in 2017 There are interviews from people who knew him between 2016-2019
He had a conviction for carrying a knife.
He had mental health issues and was sectioned at one point for 6 months

He may have visited Afghanistan, we don't know but he has been living in Britain for 7 years.

Comments abut "them" are not helpful and only incite more hatred which in turn breeds more radicalism.

Two false facts, he was not mentally ill.
He left the country 5 months ago and re entered 5 weeks ago.
Calling him mentally ill is supposed to calm the general public. He had an agenda... So do his counter parts. They are not mentally ill they believe in what they will die for.

I think these atrocities are awful. But why do the English only get upset when it affects them. The English killed half of my husbands family. And yes I do hate for that. But I thankfully would never hurt another human being.

What is your source for all this information that isn’t available in the public domain, @Noavocado? Did you know him?
I get upset against atrocities against all people, by the way.

I meant I get upset about atrocities against all people, of course.

@DillonPanthersTexas still getting nothing. The Daily Express? (although no one takes that tag seriously do they?)

Sadly a lot of people take it seriously, it's the sort of dog whistle story they love when not screaming how the EU is FURIOUS or has been HUMILIATED by plucky Britain.

Your story is changing then

Perhaps they received mental health treatment in the same facility.

@Noavocado

Why once again are posters making this about London? Manchester and Liverpool are not London. They will not be able to to target London again for some time. The middle class can rest easy... For now.

???

You do know that London and the Shires are separate places?

@WheelieBinPrincess

Perhaps they received mental health treatment in the same facility.

OP you are getting a hard time on here, which is a bit unfair. However, you do need to take a look at the statistics and the probabilities.

On any given day there are about 9m people in London. Even if there was a horrendous atrocity and 20 people were killed, 70 more were injured, that would be 90 out of 9m or 0.00001%.

It is far more dangerous to cross the road, or drive on a motorway.

So no, it wouldn't put me off going to a major city as I think the risk is still very low.

Going off topic for a sec.

the Capital City belongs to everyone

Well except for the working class and vulnerable Londoners who, over the past two decades, are being quietly socially cleansed out.

Anyhow, back to OP's query. We all find different things exasperating. As a Londoner, I personally find dismissal of valid concerns exasperating.

It is Indeed the case that, whilst it can happen anywhere, a sleepy market town or village is much less likely to be targeted for a terrorist attack than London and other big cities. (Although there is the risk anywhere of 'lone wolf' attacks eg a terrorist stabbing).

London is particularly high risk because as a pp said it's the capital. It's ridiculous to deny what the security services themselves warn about.

That said, as I told OP yesterday, millions of people do indeed go about their business in London (and other big cities) everyday with no issue.

She's most likely going to be absolutely fine, and the biggest risk in the UK is currently Covid (1000+ deaths a week).

If she does go, I hope she has a lovely time - but if she feels too anxious, she shouldn't be mocked for her perfectly understandable caution.

@Hbh17

Of course not! There have been terror events since my 1970s childhood (except it was the IRA then). Nobody who lives in a city ever even thinks about it.

That is not true.

Millions of people aren't all the same. Some do think about it.

A friend's mum (a born and bred Londoner) used to worry everyday about her ds (my friend's brother) getting the tube to school during the times of the IRA.

My grandmothers went through the WW2 blitz in London. They did indeed 'get on with it' because they had to, but that doesn't mean they didn't think about it and have worries.

I'm not trying to put OP off. PP are right that driving a car (or being a passenger) is more risky than the chances of getting caught up in a terrorist attack.

As is Covid - with 1000s a week dying with it.

She'll probably be absolutely fine and have a wonderful (and safe) time, but there's no need to sneerily dismiss her concerns.

I notice not one poster has challenged me on the women and children that were killed by the UK. I know why... You think you are more important. These attacks prove some think you have a lot to answer for.

@Noavocado

What women and children are you talking about? Like all your posts, it’s not clear and makes no sense.

Tell us your story Noavocado.

@Noavocado

I notice not one poster has challenged me on the women and children that were killed by the UK. I know why... You think you are more important. These attacks prove some think you have a lot to answer for.

I’m not sure of your point. I haven’t ‘challenged’ you on it because I am aware that it has happened and I think it’s horrific, as I said above.

The fact is though that this is a thread about whether someone should be concerned about a trip to London.
I am really interested in how you have got your information about the suspect in the Liverpool case, as I have searched and searched and can’t find it.