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CHLLady wrote:I watched the mall attack again. I'm stunned, I thought there was more than just 4 gunmen! It seems that I remembered them saying there were many more than that. Incredible.

If you are talking about the Nairobi Westgate Mall, you are correct - first reports had numbers like 10 and even 20, IIRC. There were reports that British girl who converted to islamic terrorism, I think they called her the White Widow, might be part of the group. There was a report that a group of terrorists had entered the mall via some underground tunnel that runs through Nairobi. First reports are often (always?) wrong on the details, and often far of the mark.

In the Mumbai attack, there were five groups of two, and they amplified their number by leaving bombs in taxis they used, set to explode after the taxi had dropped them off.

But it does show how just a few people with even minimal plan can cause s lot of confusion, especially if escape is not part of their plan.

It's not just "organized" groups like ISIS etc that can conjure up something like this either. There have been a number of attacks since 2001 by one or two people who were not directly commanded by a recognized terrorist group, but who were inspired or encouraged by the idea of global jihad, islamic terrorism, whatever you want to call it. There was the Beltway Sniper, a recruiting office shot up, the guy at the El Al counter in LA, a small group that planned to hit Fort Dix, I think even the Tsarnov (sp?) brothers were semi-independent - oh and some disaffected major at Ft Hood. I've seen a couple time a list of close to 300 separate attacks since 2001, but because the vast majority did not manage to kill more than one or two, they did not get national coverage. Some of them were true believes, some of them were people who were off in the head to begin with and picked up on a particular ideology, but both kinds kill.

If some of those guys who like to travel from the US to Somalia or Syria to join up with the ISIS types instead decide to stay here and self-organize, we will see a pretty bloody mess, I think. And it doesn't have to be a mall, it can be any place where a number of people gather, school, sports event, concert, and so on. One of the clever parts of the al Qaeda doctrine (or whatever you call it) is to encourage independent actions by fellow travelers and sympathizers throughout the world.

AndyC wrote:We lived in siege-conditions in South Africa for decades, and life just has to go on.

Weigh the risk, carry everywhere you can (and carry alternate weapons when you can't). Know your exits, note cover and concealment, protect your family first, protect yourself and others if you can, die like a Viking if you have to.

Nice summation. Can I add one piece of advice?

Wear some decent footwear.

Something that's not going to fall off and will let you dash through terrain that is no longer flat and smooth and obstacle free.

Every time I see pictures of some mass ugly event, there are shoes and flipflops laying everywhere, and people (mostly dead in the pics) barefoot or sock-footed. It doesn't matter whether it is a terrorist attack or a big fire or what, people where comfy-slob outfits with sandals or crocs or some such, and then end up running through broken glass and rubble. Or not running once they carve up their feet. /endrant.