Analysis of recent acts of terrors measures risk

Recent terrorist attacks in London were strategically formulated to occur during the G8 meeting a tactic that risk analysts from Risk Management Solutions (RMS) say is characteristic of a Islamic militant terrorist attack., according to terrorism risk analysts at Risk Management Solutions (RMS). RMS theorized its findings based on its global terrorism risk model, which insurers, reinsurers and policymakers use to evaluate terrorism risk.Based on research on terrorism risk resulting from UK cabinet office and Scotland Yard structure meetings, Andrew Coburn, director of terrorism research at RMS, says they considered an attack on London transport as a highly likely scenario. The attack, Coburn says, was designed to result in considerable casualties and as a bully tactic to illicit fear, economic disruption and media attention without necessitating large-scale attack devices. The tactical plan characterized by this attack, is reminiscent of last year’s bombing in Madrid and consistent with risk analysis methodologies used in RMS’s terrorist behavior and target prioritization models. Strategies implemented in the recent attack include: synchronous swarm attacks, which allows terrorists to maximize damage before security services and the public are able to respond effectively; conventional explosives that result in lower logistical burden for terrorist groups; soft targets and the game theory principle of target substitution: the G8 venue in Gleneagles was too hard to attack; and, prioritization of capital cities with universal name recognition, to maximize the symbolic and political impact of the attack.