Another day, another Allahu Akbaring.
This latest attack took place in Brussels, which has the dubious distinction of being a hotspot of the EU and of the Jihad. The attacker was a Somali and had a Koran on him. So obviously the motive is a mystery.
A man who attacked soldiers in Brussels with a knife was shouting “Allahu Akbar”, prosecutors have confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said the suspected terrorist was a Belgian citizen of Somali origin born in 1987.
He attacked three soldiers patrolling in the central Boulevard Emile Jacqmain shortly before 8.30pm local time (7.30pm BST) on Friday.
“The man rushed towards the soldiers and attacks them from behind with a knife, whilst shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’,” a spokesperson said.
“One of the soldiers opened fire and hit the man twice. The man later died in the hospital as a result of his injuries.
“The man was in the possession of a firearm replica and two Quran books. Two of the soldiers were lightly injured.”
That's the problem with waiting until the stabbing begins. The Mayor of Venice has another approach...
Luigi Brugnaro, the Italian city’s mayor has ordered them to target anyone shouting “Allahu Akbar”, Arabic for God is Greater.
He said: “Anyone who shouts Allahu Akbar in St Mark’s Square can expect to be gunned down by snipers within four paces.
‘’We need to increase our security when it comes to terrorism. We had four would be terrorists arrested in Venice a few months ago who wanted to blow up the Rialto bridge.
‘’They said they wanted to go and meet Allah so we will send them straight to Allah without having to throw them off the bridge, we will just shoot them.’’
Why, you might wonder, are there soldiers patrolling Brussels? It's the end result of the permanent civil war caused by Islamic migration into Europe.
The British military can put 10,000 soldiers on city streets after a terrorist attack. After Manchester, 5,000 soldiers were deployed. SAS special forces are reportedly being permanently positioned in London. The military was deployed for the first time in a century when Tony Blair sent tanks to secure Heathrow Airport after an Islamic terror threat. Now military deployment is becoming the new normal.
France deployed 10,000 soldiers to patrol cities after the Paris attacks. Operation Sentinelle is still underway two years later. Soldiers patrolling Paris are awarded a medal for Protection of the Territory. Half of the French soldiers deployed in a military role are patrolling the streets of Paris and other cities.
Belgium and Italy also deployed troops in Brussels and Rome in 2015.
The forces being deployed include such storied names as the French 35th Infantry Regiment, one of the country’s oldest regiments with a history dating back to the 17th century, the Irish Guards at Whitehall and the legendary Chasseurs Ardennais in Belgium. This is not counterterrorism. It’s a war.
At least these soldiers had bullets in their rifles. That's a step up for Belgium.
Rabbi Menachem Hadad of Brussels’ Shomre Hadas haredi Orthodox community said that soldiers who were posted outside a synagogue and the city’s Chabad House following the slaying of four Jews in Brussels’ Jewish Museum of Belgium in 2014 told him that for months, they used to guard the area with no bullets in their rifles. “It was just a show."
Progress. First, rifles with bullets in them. Second, use the rifles to shoot terrorists once they're stabbing you. Third, shoot the terrorists before they stab you.