Heartbreaking.
Another terrorist attack in the heart of Europe. The target this time: young girls. It is beyond heartbreaking. In solidarity with the grieving people of Manchester and the world, the Eiffel tower goes dark. We cannot help but be reminded of the Berlin Christmas Market attack, the Nice Attacks, the Paris Attacks to name only three among dozen of Islamist attacks in the months since the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
France continues to be in an official State of Emergency (more than a year now) and the US State Department continues to issue travel warnings about the threat of terrorist attacks in Europe. And Islamists "known to intelligence services" and even convicted of crimes, jailed and released, continue to travel freely into and throughout Europe, as the sheer numbers of people on watchlists overwhelm European security forces. There is no positive message here. How can there be a positive message when a girl of eight is murdered for attending a concert with her mother and sister? Europe is failing to protect itself and children are paying the price.
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See also the Guardian's "Manchester Arena attack: Libyans in UK 'warned about Manchester radicalisation for years'. Members of Britain’s Libyan community say they told authorities that terrorist recruiters are operating openly in the city"