so an attack is imminent

[myoriginal3]

AIBU to be a little freaked, living in London?

That's exactly how I feel Shame.

It's admirable that some people are able to shrug it off and not let it get to them. I'm not one of those people.

I think the same Random

I'm nervous but not terrified. Life goes on much as normal for those of us among the lucky many.

I know what you mean, @ShamefulDodger, it's so hard when children enter the equation. I know academically that you're more likely to get hit by a car/all the other statistics, but it's the feeling of being targeted that is so frightening. And it's so alien to think of children being that target - you can't get your head around it.

But for me, I'm going to make sure life goes on for my DCs. And not give into that fear.

Of course intelligence is constant. It's not at all surprising the terror alert has been raised after a suicide bomber has blown himself up in the middle of a location where they know a load of children will be. That's not surprising at all.
What's surprising is people thing that TM has raised the alert to help her political position, and not because some psycho has just killed 22 people.

It's fucking shit.

But statistically, the odds of an attack succeeding, or one being caught up in it, are v low. And I say that as someone who commutes to the city on the tube. It's never when you think it'll be and it's never where you think it'll be. Because thank fuck they aren't that sophisticated or adept at creating murder and carnage as they'd like.

I feel really sad and broken by what's happened. But also, fuck the terrorist bastards. Fuck them right in their gaping cowardly arseholes

Just watching the news - still so many people missing . Heartbreaking .

The UK threat level isn't just up to Theresa May, you know. Quite a lot of security agencies are involved in setting it. Changing it is quite a big deal.

It is utterly ridiculous to say that May has put it up to to suit herself in some way during the election campaign.

All the posters worrying about going to London or their family going there tomorrow please get real.

9 million people live there. Every day.

Of course this is awful.

But can none of you remember the IRA bombing campaign on the mainland? Bombs and shootings wasn't an uncommon event from the mid 70s until the mid 90s, somehow we managed to keep our heads.

And why are people fixating on London? If this awful attack proves anything it is that any major city could be a target.

Hmm well I have one day trip to London with my DC next month - tickets booked for a museum event. I also have tickets to 2 concerts in London with friends. I'll still be doing all those things.

I'm not at all concerned. But I lead a very boring rural life these days. You take it as you find it. It is what it is.

What's surprising is people thing that TM has raised the alert to help her political position, and not because some psycho has just killed 22 people.

Sadly that's not surprising. There are a lot of silly people about.

It wouldn't even occur to me to do anything differently. Still travelling by tube to work, and DDs going to school here in London. If poor Ariana decided to go ahead with her London concerts, and DD still wanted to go, we will go on Thursday. People can't put their lives on hold.

Not wishing to detract from the horrific event and my heart goes out to them all but tomorrow in several cities around the world other peoples kids and family members WILL be killed.

I'm in London
I'm more at risk from being hit by a bus
My kids are more at risk from other kids with knives

I'm not frightened. Tomorrow I will go about my business of travelling around central London like I do most days and many evenings. I was on the train and working around a hospital on the day of the 7/7 bombs, and I was in NY two weeks after the attacks in 2001 and saw a very subdued and scared city. Keep doing your stuff, there will be more attacks but a life lived in fear is no life.

Critical means an attack is EXPECTED imminently

That's the actual wording. And no, Theresa May didn't choose to raise the level, the security services did along with the police and the Home Office.

I'm seeing Take That at the O2 in a couple of weeks and I do feel rattled. Probably because I can't believe, I mean genuinely can't fucking believe, we now live in a country that's experienced a suicide bomber at a pop concert.

Nineteen years ago I queued for the MEN Arena inside Victoria station and it was a different time then. I can't believe how much terrorism has changed since then.

Sorry but I would be nervous living in London right now.

I don't think the level of threat is the same for us all.

I live in a rural part of uninteresting Scotland.

I feel safer here than I would living in a city.

You just carry on.

I don't get the hysteria. It's may be imminent not is imminent.

Will being scared help?

Since the point of the threat level is, I believe, partly to make police officers free to make arrests by deploying military personnel in the roles they would otherwise fill, it feels like this is if anything reassuring. This is how I'm looking at it as fear does feed the terrorists.

I wouldn't put anything past May and her political opportunism so I believe she is exploiting this (could a 'good' politician not?) but believe the threat level being raised is genuine to deal with the information coming through, personally.

We've had a shit ton of military aircraft going over this evening which always spooks me even though probably unrelated.

It's just the volume of it that got me today as usually it's occasional in small numbers.

This whole situation is awful but I'm not letting it keep me home. I work in a city and live close to another one and go in a lot, I love concerts etc. Better security defo needed at all venues.

My husband has tickets for him and our 2 girls to go to the cup final at Wembley on Saturday. I am not feeling at all happy about it, but will let them go as I assume the security will be the tightest it's ever been. I will be on tenterhooks until they're safely home though.