Why are terrorists choosing trucks as weapons?

World
Europe

In recent years, Europe has been terrorized by series of truck attacks mowing down pedestrians. And now the trend has reached the shores of the United States.

Uzbek-born Sayfullo Saipov killed eight and injured 12 in the Halloween terror attack in New York City on Tuesday, with a rented truck, a familiar weapon now favored by terrorists. Terror groups, particularly ISIL, have been encouraging their followers to adopt this tactic.

So why trucks?

Truck ramming has a high chance of success for the attack planners. It is difficult for authorities to predict and prevent. The method is also deceptively simple – it doesn't require an elaborate plot, nor does it cost much. All you need is a car, a crowd of people and a driver.

Police investigate the scene of a pickup truck attack on the West Side Highway in Manhattan, New York, US, October 31, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Is there any way of preventing these truck attacks from happening?

Given the difficulty of protecting every public space with concrete barriers, those hoping to prevent these attacks need to prevent people from becoming radicalized in the first place, said Jason Burke, author of The New Threat From Islamic Militancy.

“It comes down to what we know mitigates the terrorist threat: effective intervention, as far up the process of radicalization as is possible,” he told Newsweek earlier this year.

Below is a timeline of major car-ramming attacks in recent years.

Lower Manhattan, New York City, Oct. 31, 2017

Eight people were killed and a dozen more injured after a truck plowed into pedestrians near the World Trade Center in New York City.

Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Aug. 17, 2017

A hired van drove down Barcelona's Las Ramblas district on a sunny afternoon, killing 13 people and injuring 50 more.

Levallois-Perret, Paris, Aug. 9, 2017

A rented BMW was driven into a group of soldiers in a suburb of Paris. Six people were injured, three seriously.

Champs-Élysées, Paris, June 19, 2017

A man rammed a car carrying explosives into a police vehicle in the Champs-Elysees shopping district, prompting a fiery blast. Only the attacker was killed in what is understood to be a "botched" suicide attack.

Finsbury Park, London, June 19, 2017

One person died and 11 were injured after a van was driven into a crowd of Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park, in north London.

Drottninggatan, Stockholm, April 7, 2017

A hijacked truck drove into pedestrians on Stockholm’s busiest shopping street and crashed into a department store, killing four people and injuring 15.

Westminster, London, Mar. 22, 2017

A car was driven into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The driver then got out and stabbed a policeman to death, before being shot. Five people were killed in the car attack, with 49 injured.

Breitscheidplatz, Berlin, Dec. 19, 2016

A stolen lorry was driven into pedestrians at a Christmas market in Berlin. The attacker had shot the driver of the lorry in order to take it, and then killed 11 pedestrians. There were 56 non-fatal injuries.

Promenade des Anglais, Nice, July 14, 2016

A lorry was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day near the seafront in Nice. 87 people were killed, including the attacker, and a further 458 were injured.