Several people are dead and many injured since a man drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. The incident is the latest in a series of many where a vehicle is used as a weapon against people.
There are three different ways for society to protect itself against this type of deed, according to Hans Brun. Firstly, society can build physical security barriers, often in the form of concrete blocks and the like, which make it difficult to drive into the public with a car. Such barriers exist, for example, in the Old Town and on Queen Street in Stockholm.
Then you can eliminate car attacks, but the risk of, for example, knife attacks remains. This type of measure will never provide 100 percent protection, but they can be good.
Monitor individuals
The second is that the judiciary and police try to monitor people online who communicate in a suspicious manner.
In some cases, you can find these people before they take action. It is also a preventive measure.
The third measure is to invest in combating mental illness.
This is an area where we are quite bad in the Western world in general. We know that many of the lone actors have mental health problems, at the same time as it is important to emphasize that most people who suffer from mental illness are not dangerous. If you invest in good mental health care, you can do a lot of good things – then you also help many other people.
"Can be exploited"
Hans Brun has reacted to the fact that the man in Magdeburg was able to drive 400 meters unimpeded into the Christmas market.
It is very much, and then you can get up to speed. It will be interesting to take part in the German investigation.
The motive behind the deed is still unclear.
The most important thing right now is not to spread rumors and disinformation. This is an event that can easily be exploited to harm the open society, says Hans Brun.
Here are some deadly attacks where vehicles have been used as weapons:
France 2016: 84 people lose their lives when a truck drives straight into a crowd on the promenade in Nice. IS takes responsibility for the deed.
Germany 2016: Twelve people are killed when a truck runs into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin. The perpetrator is later shot dead by Italian police.
United Kingdom 2017: A man drives recklessly on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer. Six people are killed, including the perpetrator. Another injured woman dies later.
Sweden 2017: In April, a man drives into people on Queen Street in central Stockholm and then crashes into the Åhléns department store. Five people are killed.
Spain 2017: A driver in a white van rams people on La Rambla in Barcelona, resulting in 15 deaths. A few hours later, a similar attack is carried out in Cambrils, claiming one life. Several perpetrators are shot dead by police.
USA 2017: Eight people are killed and at least 13 injured when a radicalized man rams them with a pickup in New York.
