Terrorist incident near Lyon, France

[Oberon]

Reports are just coming in of a suspected Islamic extremist attack on a factory near Lyon in France. Reports indicate there were several explosions at the Air Products factory at St-Quentin-Fallavier and one man has been beheaded and several injured. Police have arrested a man and President Hollande is leaving the EU summit in Brussels early.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33284937

This is the second major terrorist attack in France this year, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those affected. It would seem that the Islamic extremism problem in France is coming to a head, likely with the amount of Daesh members who have been able to get across the Mediterranean.
Unfortunately there is not a great deal that can be done to stop them aside from continued intelligence monitoring and police work, in the UK we're lucky in having a sea based barrier which reduces the number that can get across, but mainland Europe doesn't have such defences and the borders are not easy to monitor.

The target is unusual, though, I've never even heard of 'Air Products' before, but unfortunately in this war any target is fair game so long as it spreads fear and intimidation.

Restez forts, République française. :salute:

[Betonov]

One thing I don't get. They drove into the factory with an Islamist flag.
A factory.
If that happened in Seaway they'd be greeted with 20-40 workers each with a bigger pipe or wrench in their hands and at least one of them would be run over by a forklift.

Factories are never a high security priority and always situated far from the police. Low value* but easy targets.


*Not so much low value when human lives are lost, but not much of a message can be made than with the more important targets.

[Lionclaw]

Darn vermin terrorists. :nope:

[Oberon]

One thing I don't get. They drove into the factory with an Islamist flag.
A factory.
If that happened in Seaway they'd be greeted with 20-40 workers each with a bigger pipe or wrench in their hands and at least one of them would be run over by a forklift.

Factories are never a high security priority and always situated far from the police. Low value* but easy targets.


*Not so much low value when human lives are lost, but not much of a message can be made than with the more important targets.

I can only imagine that surprise was a major factor in how much damage they have been able to cause. Like you say, a factory is not exactly a traditional target for Islamic terrorists, but this is assigning rationality to those without it. :nope:

[VirtualVikingX]

My guess is that the target was "random" ie; "lets try and blow this thing up and hope it explodes...." :(

[Harvs]

The company, Air Products sells industrial gasses including Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen..maybe they were trying for a bigger bang.

[ikalugin]

Well unless it produces something dangerous. Like a chemical or nuclear industry plant. In general though any well performing factories in Russia (and ex USSR) tend to have good security because:
- they want to avoid hostile takeovers by men in masks.
- they do not like workers bringing their work home and not returning it.
- in case of the admin building (or production areas, if there is expensive machinery there) it is a good idea to have decent security to avoid things getting stolen.

That said, it is not as bad now as it was in the 90s, especially in Russia (in Ukraine it was always bad and now is worse, with a number of units on both sides conducting aforementioned hostile take overs).

[Harvs]

Same story in Australian news site.
http://www.news.com.au/world/man-found-decapitated-and-several-injured-by-attacker-with-islamic-state-flag-in-grenoble-france/story-fndir2ev-1227416898188

[Oberon]

Well unless it produces something dangerous. Like a chemical or nuclear industry plant. In general though any well performing factories in Russia (and ex USSR) tend to have good security because:
- they want to avoid hostile takeovers by men in masks.
- they do not like workers bringing their work home and not returning it.

That tends not to be too much of a problem in the west, well, it wasn't. Generally speaking industrial theft is low and security is mainly CCTV monitoring, in which point you watch out for people trying to steal metal and call the police if and when it happens.

I think Harvs has a fair point, it does look like they might have been trying to create a bigger explosion, several gas canisters did rupture which apparently is what caused the explosions that have been reported. I guess they were probably local to the area and saw it as a good target for creating disruption, and unlike Synagogues and major political targets it would have had lower security levels post-Hebdo.

[ikalugin]

Why not hit oil/gazoline storage then? There are plenty of those.

[Oberon]

Why not hit oil/gazoline storage then? There are plenty of those.

They would likely have better security than domestic gas firms.

EDIT: Again, though, we're assigning rationality to people that are irrational by nature.

[Jimbuna]

Only positive I can take from this incident is the fact that the eedjits concerned have not escaped unlike the last time.

[Oberon]

Only positive I can take from this incident is the fact that the eedjits concerned have not escaped unlike the last time.

Indeed, and it least there's only been one fatality. Could always have been worse.

[Harvs]

Just breaking, 27 dead in terrorist attack in Tunisia tourist resort also suicide bombing in Kuwait.

[Oberon]

Just breaking, 27 dead in terrorist attack in Tunisia tourist resort also suicide bombing in Kuwait.

Indeed, I doubt they're connected but you can't rule it out, Tunisia is an ex-French colony after all.

[Harvs]

News online says 19 dead and one gunman.

http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/gunmen-attack-hotel-in-tunisia/story-e6frfkui-1227417082155

[Jimbuna]

Two of my work colleagues are currently on holiday over there but I can't remember the exact location....fingers crossed.

[Betonov]

Definately not connected.

Attacking a factory means those were some basement islamists trying to go jihad without really thinking things trough. The more easy target it was, less planing was behind it.

[eddie]

These attacks might not be directly connected to each other, but have happened after Daesh called for attacks against the west during Ramadan!

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trio-attacks-after-isis-urges-ramadan-month-disaster-n382406

They have struck at Kobani really bad, many civilians have been killed!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/islamic-state-commits-major-massacre-in-syrias-kobani-monitor/ar-AAc9rs4

[Jimbuna]

I'm waiting to see if there are attacks on Turkish holiday resorts...one of the lines I believe they will have to cross before Turkey joins the fight against this scum.

[Harvs]

If they want their own state i hear the moon is available.