Terrorist have always been known to engage in hard and exclusive targets. From the 1979 Munich attack, to the 1983 Beirut barrack bombing, to the twin embassy bombings by Al Qaeda, to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers and the pentagon, to the London 7/7 bombing. Fast forward to the emergence of the so called new terrorism, and the trend shows, the rise of soft targets with one objective in mind, mass casualty. The attacks from Al Qaeda on local motor parks and markets in Iraq, attacks from Boko Haram on local markets, schools, motor parks, the attacks in Tunisia of a holiday resort, the attacks in Kenya of a shopping mall, the two attacks in Paris, the Boston marathon bombing, and the Beirut twin suicide bombing. This worrying trend, presents serious challenges to law enforcement officials who on one hand have to keep an eye on critical infrastructure and also try to envisage a situation where an attack can occur in bars, restaurants or a shopping malls. The old profile of a terrorist has fundamentally changed. The new trend for the terrorist is 'the easier the better', any terrorist attack in any form soft or hard will definitely make the news. The key to preventing such attacks in future is more investment on integrated human intelligence at all levels.
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