FRANCE is under siege again. July 14 was a public holiday in France. Its people were celebrating Bastille Day when, in Nice, a truck drove into the crowd and killed more than 80 people. Many others were wounded.
The French authorities believe it was a terror attack. Even though the French police killed the perpetrator, it is not known how many others were involved. President Francois Hollande extended the state of emergency for another three months. The United States president labelled the attack “a horrific terrorist attack”.
This attack could have been executed by the Islamic State or al-Qaeda. It could also be the work of a person influenced by these groups. Until today, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
If this attack was directed by IS or al-Qaeda, then they have taken their approach to another level, much like the Sept 11 attack, in which al-Qaeda used an airplane as a weapon to attack the US.
In France, a truck was used to kill innocent people in an unpredictable manner. This may be the first time a terrorist group has used a truck to launch an attack.
I have always believed IS to be different from al-Qaeda in its unconventional methods in executing attacks. This is because IS always evolves. The choice of targets is always impulsive. In Belgium and Turkey, the targets were airports.
In Dhaka, the target was a cafe and bar. The number of terrorists involved in those attacks were few, but the impact was unconceivable. In Baghdad, they used bombs to inflict maximum damage by killing more than 200 people during Ramadan. Four suicide bombings also took place in Saudi Arabia in the same month, but no one has claimed responsibility for them. This illustrates that conventional targets are no longer IS’s choice.
Using fewer people and common materials or tools in their attacks with a selection of uncommon places as their target, makes IS the most perilous of terrorist groups.
For security and intelligence agencies, this is a very perplexing situation to handle as it makes the detection and prevention of attacks almost impossible.
In a nutshell, IS will eliminate anyone who is against its interpretation of its ideology, whether the victims are their brothers or enemies. To uphold and establish its caliphate, it will do anything to achieve its goals. The attacks in Istanbul, Dhaka, Baghdad and Jakarta have illustrated its determination.
The ongoing offensive on its caliphate in Iraq and Syria by a coalition army led by the US has angered and infuriated IS. The subsequent statements of IS leaders urging their supporters and sympathisers to attack enemies have escalated attacks inspired by IS across the world, from Europe and America to Asia. This is unparalleled. Intelligence and security agencies need to think out of the box to tackle the problem.
For Malaysia, IS is a serious threat. The suspected terror attack in Puchong has indicated that such an attack in the future is highly
probable.
The threats imposed by two Malaysian IS terrorists to harm our country keep our security level high.
The recent threat to harm top counter-terrorism police officers, the inspector-general of police and prominent political leaders shows the boldness of IS to destroy the peace and harmony in this country.
Increased surveillance and monitoring of hotspots by intelligence and security forces are a must.
Furthermore, the IS Malay language online newspaper, Al-Fatihin, which caters to its supporters in Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, has reportedly stated that the IS focus is now on this region.
Of late, terrorist sympathisers from Malaysia have been making headlines with their links to IS propaganda, making our country the primary target for recruitment of new IS members. Therefore, it is appropriate for the US to set up an anti-IS data centre in Malaysia to monitor not only the postings of IS on social media, but also to decrypt online messages. This because IS uses social media and the Dark Web to spread their word.
The Malaysian authorities also need to engage with the public to re-educate and inform them on the deviant beliefs of IS, especially its interpretation of jihad.
Recently, in Penang, four people were killed by a family member, who was subsequently shot dead by police. I strongly believe that to tackle IS threats in Malaysia, the intelligence and security agencies need to work with the public.
Malaysians owe a duty of care
to this nation; they are the stakeholders of this nation. They need to assume responsibility for the nation’s security and protect its sovereignty.
R. Paneir Selvam Institute of Crime and Criminology, HELP University, Kuala Lumpur