Page 33 - SyI Quarterly 9 final

very little time for organised defence. After overwhelming their pray, the perpetrators would
then conduct room clearance; acting as executioners, showing no mercy to those they found.
The Complex was a real nightmare for major security managers in high threat environments.
They were very much part of daily operations in Kabul, Baghdad, Mogadishu, Mosul and any
other location where jihadi terrorists operate.
But this ferocious and bloody terror weapon is no longer the preserve of the Taliban and
Al Qaeda. It has escaped the is war-torn countries of its birth and has become part of the
arsenal of most jihadi terror groups including of course Islamic State.
It was the tactic used during the 2008 Mumbai attack, where 10 terrorists went on a four-day
killing spree that resulted in 175 deaths. It was used twice in Nairobi: 2019 with 21 deaths
and 2013 at the Westgate shopping Mall with 75 deaths.
The complex or marauding terror attack as it has now become know, is a truly nightmare
scenario. It is the archetypal terror tactic, that will spread fear amongst the target audience
and leave a legacy of dread for generations. Luckily, we have not seen it’s like in the UK. The
closest that we’ve got to it was the Borough market attack. But the attackers armed with
knives and fake suicide vests who initiated the attack by driving their van into pedestrians,
were dispatched relatively quickly after armed police arrived on site a mere eight minutes
after the killing frenzy had stared.
But France has not been so fortunate. In November 2015 four terrorist groups conducted
a coordinated attack at locations in Paris. Beginning at 9:15 pm, three suicide bombers
struck outside the Stade de France during an international football match. Another group
of attackers then fired on crowded cafés and restaurants in Paris, with one of them also
blowing himself up. A third group carried out another mass shooting and took hostages at
the Bataclan theatre. The result of the extremely well planned and executed assault was 130
dead and 416 injured.
The recent spate of terror attacks in the UK have been unsophisticated and have utilised
readily available items as weapons: knives, vehicles, or both. That is why I am surprised that
Op Plato was utilised so quickly for both the aforementioned incidents.
When assessing the likelihood of the threat of an MTA we must always look at the
capabilities and attack history of the terror groups. Since we’ve never had an MTA utilising
small arms, the propensity to employ Op Plato so quickly means that a ‘better safe than
sorry’ paradigm is being used by police commanders. That is not a criticism though. The
commander on the ground gets to call it – totally understand that, I’ve been in the situation
myself.
But this sends a clear message to those who must deal with the aftermath of a terror attack,
that they could well be without emergency service support for a protracted period of time.
In which case they will have to manage the situation themselves.