The attacks on Friday night, November 13, 2015, in Paris came when Parisians were doing what they do best: enjoying the company of their friends and families in cafes, clubs and at sporting events.
I love Paris and an fortunate enough to spend about a month a year in Paris and its environs. While my French is passable, my love of the culture, people and history is emphatic.
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The attacks were done on purpose when Parisians were enjoying their lives, from the Stade de France to the Bataclan Music Club.
Martin Reardon, a security official with much experience, wrote this piece for Al Jazeera, an important media source on global news. Reardon pulls no punches, his thoughts are well formulated and thoughtful.
OPINION
Paris and the new normal
The difficulty in monitoring grassroots terrorists activities render many countries fragile to such attacks.
| War & Conflict, Politics, Europe, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martin Reardon
Martin Reardon is a senior vice president with The Soufan Group, a strategic security and intelligence consultancy.
Friday night’s attacks in Paris were a tragic reminder that with persistence and innovation, terrorists can and do strike their “enemies” at a time and place of their own choosing. It may, unfortunately, be the new normal in countries that, until recently, were thought to be immune or nearly so from such attacks.
What is most disconcerting about the Paris attacks is that while they were clearly well-planned and coordinated, they were also relatively low-tech and simple to carry out, which is the reason is why counterterrorism officials are so concerned.
To read this story: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/11/paris-normal-151114145240473.html