WAM Is All The Rage
Using cars as weapons seems to be catching on. In fact, it’s become all the rage. Since the trend setting Bastille Day automobile attack in Nice, France, on July 14, 2016, this convenient method of murder and mayhem has been used many times: Ohio State University (Nov 2016), Berlin (Christmas tree stand, Dec 2016), Westminster Bridge, London (Mar 2017), Stockholm, Sweden (Apr 2017), Times Square, New York (May 2017), London (again), (Jun 2017), London (yet again) (Jun 2017), Paris (soldiers attacked, Aug 8, 2017), Charlottesville, Virginia (Aug 13, 2017), and Paris (eight year old girl dead in pizza restaurant, TODAY, Aug 14 2017).
This method of attack was first described in an al-Qaeda online magazine in 2010, under the title: “The Ultimate Mowing Machine.” In that article, al-Qaeda makes it quite clear that grass cutting is NOT their objective. They recommend, rather, “mowing down enemies of Allah”.
Since the original post, thisutomobile method has gained popularity among the extremists on ALL sides of the political and religious map. This is not surprising, as the technique has MANY features that appeal to the the would be murderer. The necessary weapon is READILY AVAILABLE, and easy to operate. One doesn’t have to worry about permits and other constraints that can be so annoying with weapons like guns and rifles. No special training is required! The assailant can effectively murder without having to get his “hands dirty.” The assailant can achieve high body counts very quickly, and is likely to enjoy thrilling screams during the attack. There may even be satisfying “crunching” sounds as bones break. And, if the assailant is lucky, he may even be able to use his weapon for escape! The only downside is that the assailant’s beautiful BMW (the surprising vehicle of choice in a number of these attacks) is likely to get scuffed up in the process.
And, if all of this isn’t frightening enough, consider that it will be very difficult to prevent or guard against this type of attack. It will, obviously, be impossible to ban automobiles. And, unlike September 11 style attacks, automobile attacks can be “spur of the moment” affairs that require no more advanced planning that remembering to fill up your tank. And, they’re perfect for the “lone wolf” jihadi or even a solitary misfit.
So, for all these reasons, I’m afraid that automobile attacks are likely to be with us for the foreseeable future. In recognition of this “trending” phenomenon, a new acronym is in order. Since automobile attacks use the vehicle as a weapon, it would be proper to refer to such vehicles are “weaponized”. And, since auto attacks usually involve multiple victims, the term massacre would also apply. Putting this together, we arrive at the term “Weaponized Automobile Massacre” or “WAM”, for short. You read it here first.