London plotter acted with evil in his heart

Thankfully, passengers had a lucky escape, but we must never drop our guard against would-be terrorists

n Friday morning, in a crowded rush-hour London Tube train, a suspect acting with evil in his mind and terror in his heart, set out to kill and maim as many innocent passengers as possible, to create fear and panic across the United Kingdom. Be it through inexperience, incompetence or inconceivable good luck, the improvised bomb failed to fully detonate and the initial flash only succeeded in injuring some 30 passengers in the immediate vicinity. Thank God for that.

If this evil monster had succeeded, the toll would have indeed been bloody and deadly, given that the explosion would have been exacerbated by the limited confines of the train carriage. Friday’s attack was the fifth such incident on UK soil in the past six months, one that follows the bloody and murderous incidents in Manchester, outside the Houses of Parliament, on Westminster Bridge and Borough Market.

The response from the government of British Prime Minister Theresa May has been swift, with the terror watch now raised to critical and the likelihood highest that another strike may indeed be imminent. It’s a stark and stern reminder for everyone that the threat of terror never goes away and that there are evil and perverted minds and masters who seek to strike at the very core of society.

In conjunction with raising the terror threat, May has also ordered the deployment of soldiers to guard facilities and buildings that would normally be guarded by armed police. As a result, May has managed to increase the number of roving armed police response units on the streets while also ensuring that these buildings and facilities are also adequately guarded. For many Britons, the measures will provide at least psychological comfort that the government is taking action, that the military is being used sensibly, and that there are enough armed police personnel on the streets to be able to deter would-be attackers from carrying out their evil plots.

There is also a reality that while May was previously the home secretary, she had cut 20,000 frontline police officers from duty for penury and austerity reasons. These were experienced officers who walked the beats and streets of cities and communities, had ties with the public, and had an active and intelligence-gathering presence on the streets. That type of personal, first-hand asset can never be replaced by armed police acting to events after they have happened. But this time, thankfully, Londoners were lucky.