Terror attack

What a vulnerable world we now live in. Any radical hate-person can just jump into a car, drive into a crowd of people, stab a policeman, all in one of the most famous areas of London. Terrorism is so easy these days. Al-Qaeda was the major threat not that long ago and of course still remains a major threat but, so far at least, they have focused on explosives to cause mayhem. London's worst-ever terrorist attack on July 7, 2005, involved a series of coordinated suicide bombings that killed 52 people. Today, one hopes, that sort of terrorism has a better chance of being stopped because it requires planning and expertise and training, all of which can, with luck, be picked up by the intelligence services. But since the emergence of Isis/Islamic State/Daesh, terrorism has become a random, dangerously simple, individual activity which can be carried out anytime, anywhere. The articulated lorry terrorist attack in Nice was the most gruesome of all such attacks, because of its simplicity and sheer determination of the terrorist to kill as many people as possible. Today's Westminster Bridge attack was smaller scale, thank God, but the idea behind it was the same. One individual can just wake up one morning and decide to drive his car into people to kill them. However many times we are warned always to be vigilant, no one expects to walk across Westminster Bridge in the middle of the day and face a terrorist behind the wheel of a car. It's just not in anyone's mind, how could it be. Not that far away from Westminster Bridge and Parliament where the police officer was fatally stabbed is Thames House, headquarters of MI5. Could they possibly have imagined that this was going to be the day when London would be targeted by some hateful human being? Did they have any intelligence-led inkling that this particular person was plotting to do what he did? Very unlikely although in the days ahead we may discover that he was on their watch database. But if he had kept a low profile before, and not shown any sign of being a radical fanatic, how can MI5 be expected to protect us from such people? It is arbitrary terrorism, in the name of something, whatever that is. There are probably a lot of these people living in the UK now, just waiting to do their bit to add to the deaths and injuries already suffered in other European capitals. Politicians are saying that this sort of terrorism will not change our lives. Quite right, they won't. But this individual today has succeeded in changing or ending the lives of about 54 people - the four dead victims and the 50 injured. Those injured will never again feel totally safe walking the streets of London. The rest of us are just relieved we were not there on Westminster Bridge at that time. For a time we will be more wary of vehicles appearing to act erratically. But the terrorists who hate us and don't care about losing their lives for their so-called cause will be able to choose what they do next and when they do it. We all aware of that now. There are bound to be future attacks. But we can't spend our days worried about it. For the 50 injured, however, and the families of those killed, it's a different story. Today marks the day their lives became less predictable. I wish them well.