Large public events remain “soft” targets
Despite high- tech security tools and strategy, large public events remain ‘ soft’ targets
With its long history as a target for terror, England has girded itself in anti- terror technology.
But even with an array of concrete bollards, metal detectors and closed- circuit television cameras with facial recognition to track suspicious people, a terrorist found a weak spot at the 21,000- seat Manchester Arena: the perimeter.
The suicide bombing Monday, which killed at least 22 people and injured 59, demonstrated the difficulty of defending large public sporting and music venues where crowds gather before and after the events. The attack comes despite worldwide strides to improve security since 2001 and the United Kingdom’s efforts since a subway bombing in London in 2005 killed 52 people.
Terrorists know that such venues employ metal detectors, bag checks, sniffer dogs and other security measures at entrances to keep the buildings free of threats, so they look for the soft spots.
The Manchester bombing occurred after the concert in the arena’s foyer, which connects the venue with the Victoria train and tram station.
“Reconnaissance work would likely have been done previously to identify the most vulnerable area at the perimeter of the venue,” said Kit Nicholl, a security analyst at IHS Markit. “The attacker would also have held back for the concert to come to an end in order to target the crowd of people leaving the arena.”
The timing and location of the Manchester bombing suggest the assault was meticulously planned, probably by more than one person, Nicholl said. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, which U. S. officials were seeking to confirm.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May raised the terror threat to the highest possible — critical — and said there are fears that another terrorist attack is imminent.
Surrounding streets, parking lots and public transport — anywhere crowds gather as they make their way into or out of large venues — make attractive targets for terrorists, said Anthony Roman, a security expert at Roman & Associates in Lynbrook, N. Y.
“Clearly you have large crowds of people approaching and lining up, which makes them vulnerable,” Roman said.
Even at the most heavily protected spots, a determined terrorist can find a weak spot. In January, a gunman killed five people in the unsecured baggage-impractical. claim area of the Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport — one of the few areas outside the airport’s security checkpoints.
Terror attacks on the edges of airports, concert halls and other public spots often elicit calls to extend security perimeters.
John Poncy, a former soldier and security expert as CEO of The Densus Group, said there is a push for venues to demonstrate they are providing security through metal detectors or by erecting bollards to block car bombs. But extending that perimeter can be costly and “If somebody has explosives strapped to their body and hasn’t gone through the metal detector, I don’t know that there is all that much that can be done,” Poncy said. “At this point, it becomes really a question of police doing everything they can to track known perpetrators.”
The New York Police Department bolstered its presence at high- profile locations such as Times Square the day after the Manchester bombing.
Some people who attended the Ariana Grande concert Monday night said security was lax. A Czech woman, Nikola Trochtova, told a public radio station that “there was almost no security check, rather zero.”
Security at large public venues could be improved by spreading out police and having them face outward to scan for suspicious characters, as happens in Israel, Roman said.
Terrorists might have targeted children to create more outrage about the attack, experts said. An 8- year- old girl was among those killed, and 12 children younger than 16 were among the injured, according to British authorities.
“These are not military targets,” Roman said. “They are looking for the emotional impact to wear down the society’s will, to change hearts and minds.”