James Sarmiento

When I was watching CNN-IBN’s live web stream, I found myself watching the other face of terrorism. In the pictures flashing, one perpetrator of the Mumbai terror looked young, probably in his early 20′s, wearing clothes of a typical teen’s pants with haircut that looks cleaner than mine. Really, the only difference I saw with him from usual mall goers is that he had a gun. That was it.

The approach that the terrorists took deviates of what we know how previous terrorists sow horror. Instead of simply plotting bombs in cars, bikes or a suicide bomber’s body, the attackers pose themselves as gunmen killing mass civilians by gun triggers and blades. Filipino journalist Maria Ressa recalls this was not the first time that terrorists use frontal assaults but this time, their activity made it to international households. The Mumbai attackers got what they want: world attention.

One Indian news anchor, seems to me, saw it right. Since the terrorists will have a hard time penetrating American and European countries due to upped security measures, they might simply attack elswehere with securities that are less prepared, be it by air, land or sea, targeting cities with high concentration of UK and US nationals.