so an attack is imminent

[myoriginal3]

AIBU to be a little freaked, living in London?

My understanding of the change of threat is that it means things like leave is cancelled for certain workers, your put on standby if your an emergency worker that sort of thing. Theres a lot of big events this weekend, so i guess it means theres more security around those.

Personally i don't feel any more at risk than i did last week. The security services have to get it right every time, the terrorists once. I grew up with the IRA bombs and threats, being evacuated from school. We had a few glory years in between and i feel sad i didn't appreciate them.
The difference with ISIS is that its harder to look for suspicious packages or cars when its the person blowing themselves up.
I feel utterly awful about the manchester attack, the target this time feels a lot worse. Like others have said most people got out that concert alive, So the odds are stacked in our favour. I still buy a lottery ticket. We have to look after each other, keep vigilant and calculate the risks for us. DH is going to one of the big events this weekend, if he was taking the kids i may feel differently. We were talking last night about a plan if something happened. I think thats all we can do.

So how are we supposed to act now that the threat level has been raised to critical? I haven't heard of any specific advice. I'm guessing that's because there's fuck all that any of us can do, other than act in the same way as when the level was at severe - only now there will be more fear and paranoia.

I'm wondering how long the level can be kept at critical - 1 day, 1 month, 1 year? Remember that France has been in a state of emergency since November 2015, and during that time there have still been atrocities and acts of terror committed.

It's petrifying.

Today is probably the safest day to go to London.

Next month, next year, not so much.

Garlic he waited until the end of the attack I would say for a few reasons:
-The Foyer would be packed full of people trying to get out most people come in drips and drabs into an arena but all will leave at roughly the same time

• Most mums will take smaller children from a concert early due to trying to avoid the mass crowds
• There would also be several mums waiting to collect their teenagers from the concert

I and hoards of other people crowd into a rush hour train there's very little I could do to run away.

It can be the ensuing crush that causes the most damage. There was a nightclub fire in New Jersey where something like 40 people died crushed in a doorway. Everyone rushed it. Across the room another exit was available.

So it is sensible to just look around. Too, management should train for events like this.

But I have wondered why he waited till the end of the concert.

Because he wouldn't have been able to get in to the concert, so waited in the foyer (where security was more lax) for maximum impact when people were leaving.

We're going to the Cup Final on Saturday. Do I feel nervous - yes. Will it stop me going - no.

I completely understand those people who feel extremely nervous and choose not to go. That is absolutely their right. However, I think that security is going to be tighter this weekend than it's ever been and, to be honest, that to me is comforting.

DH and I have planned though - simple things like me taking a very small bag with my purse etc and wearing shoes that I can run in, rather than throwing on my usual sandals. Also both making sure we have got ID on us and that friends and family know where we are. And being hyper-vigilant of course.

And that's as much as we can do really. Anything else starts impinging on normal life, which means that they've won quite frankly.

garlic i didn't think he had tickets to the concert, so i think he just walked in at the end to the entrance to blow them up. But I'm happy to be corrected on that. So he wouldn't have been subjected to any security checks to get in, as he didn't go into the arena just the outside bit.

So logic says you either do before or after and as confused says actually you will get more people at the end than the beginning

shoes that I can run in

Good advice! If you look at the Japanese tsunami vidios, those who could sprint made it up the hillside, those who couldn't....

minesapinot The plan I've given DH is similar to yours, but his involves not drinking too much! If anything happens and he can't get signal etc on his phone we are going to look at one long road (probably the north circular) that will be signposted that hopefully he can get out and he can head onto and just walk and i will come and get him.

i'm getting the train into london in an hour
hadn't even considered not going

an attack could happen ANYWHERE
it could happen in a local shopping centre

why the focus / fear of London on this thread?

Had that worked it would have as tragic as 7/7 - and would have killed children too - because one of the bombers was said to direct his rucksack towards a mother with a pushchair.

Do you have a source for this? I couldn't find anything on google.

I forgot to mention that I think it's terrible there has been no practical advice given (to my knowledge) from anyone in a position of authority as to what to do in the aftermath of, or during an ongoing attack other than to run - especially during this 'critical' time.

Maybe they could at least advise us as to what to wear/carry to hopefully assist should anyone be caught up in anything, such as: Wear flat comfortable shoes/trainers, wear non-restrictive clothing, carry your phone, a phone charger, map, pen, paper, tissues, water, I.D...

Of course these articles could become left behind in bags in the midst of an attack, but I think we should still be encouraged to do this.

I remember a thread on here on a similar topic (last year I think).

Please note that I am not trying to trivialise this matter, and I am certainly not trying to imply that people in previous attacks would have been better off if they'd done xyz.

I just think that some degree of practical advice needs to be issued from the authorities, for all of us, but above all for our children and young people.

They look for weak points in security. It was in a public area where merchandise was being sold, so an obvious weak point. Doing it inside would have meant being subject to more security. Also he may have stood out inside as not a typical fan going alone, for this type of concert.In the foyer he could easily have been just another dad collecting his teenage daughter.

On a practical level one of the things we could all do is ensure that we know basic first aid. Ideally go on one of the Red Cross or St John's Ambulance courses, but if this isn't possible then make sure that you know the basics from those organisations web sites. I carry a credit card size reminder of basic first aid in my purse in case in the heat of the moment I can't think straight. In terrorist attacks it's likely to be ordinary members of the public who are first in the scene and knowing what to do in those first few minutes could save someone's life.

I wish that first aid training was made compulsory in schools.

wtf do you need evidence that the 7/7 bombers were aiming to kill a mother and child too

if you have travelled on the bus/train/tube in London in rush hour you will know children are often travelling with their parents on their way to school and a number of nurseries in central London also travelling would have been tourists, those on their way to hospital appointments and so on this attack wasn't only aimed at adults it was anyone who was there men, women, muslim, jewish, child, baby it didn't matter to them

Manchester attack was specifically aimed to kill more children because they were aware that as a society we would struggle with knowing that even more and feel more vulnerable, angrier and even more distressed (not to say as a society we were not after 7/7)

I really don't see how TM is capitalising on this, if anything it could make her look even more incompetent.

She cut the border security budget by 2 million last year against advice that it would be dangerous. If it turns out that the psychopath who made the bomb had training in Syria or somewhere and wasn't properly vetted it will look bad on her.

Not to mention the massive cuts to the police she made as home Secretary. When called out on that she dismissed the police as scaremongering and crying wolf. She was a complete liability to our security as Home Secretary.

Moomin, I read it in the papers at the time.

Easy now Idontbowl, I think we are still under a political truce.

Argeles there is a free phone app called citizenAID that you can download for practical advice.

God there really are some spectacularly stupid people on this thread. Some of the things being spouted remind me of my DS when he was about 14 and obsessed with conspiracy theory nonsense from watching too much YouTube. We naively assume that MN is almost wholly inhabited by grown women with properly functioning intellects but this thread is a reminder that it's open to all.

And while I do think it's okay to feel a bit rattled about attending large scale events in coming months some posters seem to be struggling with rationality and probability.

Then again, MN is the place where every fourth person says they suffer from anxiety so it's not be wondered at really, is it?

I went through a major northern train station (not Manchester) the afternoon of the attacks and there were armed police there. In 10 years of going through this station I have never seen armed police. I think there must have been a warning of an attack. They just didn't know where.

Bluegrass
"Keep calm and carry on is more than just a slogan on a tea towel. I can't imagine even for a moment how it must have been for my grandparents living in a London during the Blitz, people dying night after night, building destroyed, fire, carnage, and yet they carried on and the City kept on functioning. Unimaginable, but inspiring. If my gran could carry on through all that I'm buggered if I'm going to let the odd arsehole with a misguided death wish put me off using the tube, going to shops or just generally getting on with my life."

Sorry to nick your entire post to re-post but I cannot imagine it better put!

I was speaking to 4 different people in their 70's yesterday and they all talked about their parents and WW2 and how folk simply 'got on with 'normal life' (though it was anything but) as there was no choice. Relentless appalling times, but people quietly heroically carried on.
As we all will. There is no other choice.

Delurking.

I have been glued to the News since yesterday.

I am no expert just a MNetter. I believe this attack is different to other recent attacks across Europe such as Niece, Berlin, Stockholm, Westminster and others.

The factors that make me very concerned are:

• The terrorist's national background is Libya. A deeply troubled country, a terrorist state until recently with civil unrest and god knows how many awful weapons in circulation and reach. It seems the attacker has spent significant time over there and might well have been trained by experienced and ruthless terror networks.

• The type of attack. The demographic of the victims, it is the height of evil. He killed and maimed very young British / European girls, pre-teens and young teenagers. The gig was the highlight of most of the concert visitors, many will have received their ticket as a birthday or Christmas present. A truly happy, innocent and fun event. Here young innocent happy and vulnerable girls (mainly girls) have been bullied killed and maimed by a disgusting male super bully. There is an added layer of wickedness here.

• The bomb and how it was executed. The bomb must have been built by an expert, it takes planning and dedication to produce a 'viable' device.

This guys was not a successful student and he did not study chemistry, he studied business afaik. He must have researched the venue, the time and ending of the gig and where to best position himself to not risk being searched and stopped and cause maximum panic.

This was the evil work of a professional network with evil terrorist mentors who guided and supported this disgusting piece of shit.

I fear that there will be more to come as indicated by the elevated terror risk.

And to those saying Theresa May is conveniently changing risk levels for political gain i'd like to say that as a Remainer and someone who detests May's nasty and simplistic b/w rhetoric and lack of effective leadership, the risk was not elevated by her.

There is a serious threat to the UK now (even though chances that any one of us will actually be involved in a potential attack are very slim).

This terror attack looks extremely well planned and has caused absolute havoc. The connection with Libya is very worrying. Let's not forget the attacks in Egypt in the last couple of years (the Russian passenger plane and the attack on British tourists). There is some evil shit coming from that part of the world.

But essentially the targeted victims were young teenage or pre-teen girls. I am also reminded of the mob sex attacks on young girls in Cologne and other German cities. I know they are disconnected as in not planned or co-ordinated but they show to all of us how very hateful some of these MENA men can be wrt girls and young women. There is an element of pure evil machismo going with some looser types from that community and this man's hatred against european girls was instrumentalist for political Islamist terrorism most likely by an experienced terror network.

But I have wondered why he waited till the end of the concert

Same as what TattyCat said.

Additionally, remember what sad, sick fucks these 'losers' are who commit these atrocities, and the fear and paranoia they love to create. By bombing at the end of the concert, it exacerbates the message these losers want to poison us with, that if we enjoy something they think should be forbidden, then we will be terrorised or 'punished' for having done so.

They're trying to tell us that none of us will ever be safe and can never be complacent anywhere whilst we do not live as they expect us to.