French Soldier Stabbed in Paris

[DotCommunist]

JHE typing one handed here.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I remember going to Paris about 12 years ago and the airport was full of soldiers wandering about with big fuck-off guns. Bit of a culture shock.

It's nothing to worry about, you only have to put on a German accent and they'll immediately surrender.

 

[stuff_it]

Apparently its quite a regular thing:

Surely the giant berets in the top pic would be a massive liability in a firefight?

 

[SpookyFrank]

The greater kulcha shock for me is the Soldiers of Allah hacking heads off. I'm just not used to it (yet).

I'm sure if you saw what our brave lads get up to on their travels that'd be a bit of a culture shock too.

 

[1%er]

Its a bit mad that the French Army are patrolling Paris as part of an "anti-terrorist surveillance plan", tbh.

They have been on the street for a few months, remember Mali earlier in the year? (iirc)They are/were at a higher terrorist alert than the UK. (some of their anti-terrorist forces are army based not all police.

 

[CyberRose]

so if he was on patrol then he would have been armed?

Takes a bit more balls to attack an armed soldier on duty with a knife than attacking an unarmed off duty soldier.

And then melting away into the crowd to instead of hanging around waiting for the police to turn up and shoot you....

I think mine and your concept of "bravery" is a bit different to these types of people. Often I see in discussions people thinking it brave to be a suicide bomber, but that's because we have a different belief in what happens next (for me, and presumably most on here, 'next' means nothing, just dead, for radical Islamists it means entry into paradise - hardly brave in my book).

In this case the terrorist (as he is now being called by the French) sneaked up behind the soldier before stabbing him so not particularly "brave", however, as he ran away and had appears to have no desire to be caught/killed (unlike the British terrorists) perhaps he can be considered a little bit more daring (I suppose that would depend on whether the soldier was alone or with colleagues)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22670697

I think this is pretty much nailed on (in my mind at least) a copy cat killing - exactly what the British killers wanted to achieve - spread the message/inspire others

 

[pesh]

I think mine and your concept of "bravery" is a bit different to these types of people. Often I see in discussions people thinking it brave to be a suicide bomber, but that's because we have a different belief in what happens next (for me, and presumably most on here, 'next' means nothing, just dead, for radical Islamists it means entry into paradise - hardly brave in my book).

In this case the terrorist (as he is now being called by the French) sneaked up behind the soldier before stabbing him so not particularly "brave", however, as he ran away and had appears to have no desire to be caught/killed (unlike the British terrorists) perhaps he can be considered a little bit more daring (I suppose that would depend on whether the soldier was alone or with colleagues)

it seems to be the new way of doing things. running someone over in a car then stabbing them or sneaking up and stabbing them from behind, or sitting in a warm office with a nice cup of coffee piloting a drone. none of it seems particularly brave to me. the only real difference is the budget available.

 

[JHE]

JHE typing one handed here.

I've only got one hand. I used to have two, but I was done for shoplifting in Sudan.

 

[CyberRose]

it seems to be the new way of doing things. running someone over in a car then stabbing them or sneaking up and stabbing them from behind, or sitting in a warm office with a nice cup of coffee piloting a drone. none of it seems particularly brave to me. the only real difference is the budget available.

I suppose it's a moot point when you think about it. They don't need to be brave in order to be effective/achieve their aims...

 

[DotCommunist]

I've only got one hand. I used to have two, but I was done for shoplifting in Sudan.

ah, that will be the same place you lost a cock as well then

 

[likesfish]

so if he was on patrol then he would have been armed?

Takes a bit more balls to attack an armed soldier on duty with a knife than attacking an unarmed off duty soldier.

And then melting away into the crowd to instead of hanging around waiting for the police to turn up and shoot you....

I cant imagine he was particularly alert until his happened paris was hardly a high threat enviroment

 

[Sue]

Apparently its quite a regular thing:

They have Vigipirate alerts quite regularly. Generally you get two soldiers (with guns) patrolling with one policeman as above. Used to see them in the metro a lot. Call me strange but having nervous looking soldiers with big guns in an enclosed space didn't exactly make me feel safer.

 

[seeformiles]

I remember going to Paris about 12 years ago and the airport was full of soldiers wandering about with big fuck-off guns. Bit of a culture shock.

That reminds me of the first time I took Mrs SFM to Belfast. Things were still a bit "hot" at the time and, while I thought nothing of it, she was completely freaked out by soldiers crouching in doorways aiming rifles in the city centre shopping precinct (and the police carrying guns as a matter of course).

 

[brogdale]

'Fail' reporting that the alleged attacker was bearded and seen praying. There you go, then...clearly he was a....

 

[brogdale]

'Fail' reporting that the alleged attacker was bearded and seen praying. There you go, then...clearly he was a....

...follower of "conservative, even radical, Islam for the past three or four years"

A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an attack at the weekend in which a French soldier was stabbed, the interior ministry has announced.
The man was picked up in Verriere, west of Paris, after a three-day search by anti-terrorist police.
One police source told AFP the suspect had been a follower of "conservative, even radical, Islam for the past three or four years", and had come across police radars before, although only for petty crimes.
Prosecutors are to give further details on the arrest later on Wednesday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/29/man-arrested-attack-french-soldier

e2a : authorities now confirming man arrested a "convert to islam".

Hmmm...pattern emerging?