Despite the massive shock of 9/11 and all the repercussions it soon unleashed, on the surface, for allies of the United States normality resumed relatively quickly. It would take more than 9/11 to shake other Western countries out of their comfort zones.
For some, however, that complacency was not to last, for 9/11 had spawned a new level of global activity in the terrorist world.
Australians Targeted
In Australia, it came exactly one year later, in October 2002, with the attack in Bali, Indonesia.
One bomb exploded outside the U.S. Consulate in Bali’s capital, Denpasar, causing little damage. Two others exploded in Kuta, a popular nightclub area for tourist. They were massive.
Over 200 were people were killed, including 88 Australians and 33 Indonesians. Many more were injured, some permanently incapacitated or scarred from terrible burns.
Australian and U.S. intelligence services credited the bombings to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian Islamic militant organization with links to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Samudra, an alleged field commander of JI, who was arrested in connection to the bombings, indicated in confessions obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, that Australians were specifically targeted.
Although the attack did not take place on Australian shores, it bellowed a loud security warning.
Australian security agencies were beefed up and surveillance of potential terrorist cells increased. The Australian government established a hotline to report any suspicious behavior.
In 2009, Australian security agencies exposed a homegrown terrorist cell. Five Australian citizens were arrested for plotting to attack an Australian army base. Four of the men were of Somali heritage and one of Lebanese.
To date, there have been no significant attacks in Australia.
One result of the Bali bombings has been more regional cooperation and engagement, particularly with Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
“Indonesian expressions of sympathy for Australia in the wake of the bombings indicate that Indonesian eyes have been turned to Australia in a way that rarely occurs” wrote defense and trade analyst, Stephen Sherlock, in a briefing paper for the Australian Parliament.
London Bombings
On July 7, 2005, the U.K. received its own wake-up call, with the London bombings, or what later became known as 7/7.
Three bombs exploded in quick succession targeting morning commuters on the London underground, and a fourth exploded an hour later on a bus traveling from Marble Arch. The four suicide bombers killed 52 and injuring more than 700.
The attackers were later identified as Islamic homegrown terrorists. Although there has been no direct link to al-Qaeda, authorities indicated there are connections.
According to the BBC, two of the bombers visited Pakistan the year prior; a suspected al-Qaeda member had entered the U.K. two weeks before and had left just before the bombs went off; explosives found in a house linked to the bombers, were similar to those used by al-Qaeda.
U.S. strategic security analyst, Gary Schmitt says the attacks were a complete surprise to the British.
“For a city and a nation that had dealt with Irish terrorism for more than 100 years, the attacks on July 7, 2005, were nevertheless a shock,” he says in a paper published by Fox News.
Following the attacks, the U.K. responded swiftly. However, Schmitt notes that it was quite different from the U.S. approach.
Testifying before a U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Schmitt said that while the United States responded to terrorism in a “militarized” way, the U.K.’s response to terrorism was “more grounded in law enforcement and common law.”
Security agencies like MI5 work much more closely with London’s Metropolitan Police now, and intelligence officials from both work side by side.
By all accounts this model has worked. Bar the recent London riots, there have been no major violent attacks in the U.K. since 2005, although there have been many heightened alerts.
With the Olympic Games due to take place in London in 2012, it is hoped that the lessons learnt from 9/11, and the ensuing terrorist attacks in London and Bali, will ensure a secure and peaceful event.
