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Locals speak out about recent terror attacks in Britain

By KAILEE E. GALLAHAN

The Exponent Telegram

CLARKSBURG, W.Va.  — Area residents are definitely worried about terrorism after a vehicle and knife attack in London Saturday evening left seven people dead and more than 40 wounded.

According to the Metropolitan Police Force in London, the attacks were ruled as “terrorist incidents.” This was one of just three such attacks to occur in Britain in a matter of months.

The assault began when a van veered off the road and ran into a group of pedestrians on London Bridge.

Three men then fled the van and began attacking people with knives at bars and restaurants.

In North Central West Virginia, area residents were worried about how to stem the flow of these terror incidents.

Harrison County resident Hunter Knight said he is concerned after seeing the numerous attacks around the world.

“It’s obviously not something you want to see and it’s continuing to get worse,” he said. “My hope is that we are able to control some of it soon before more people get hurt or killed.”

Elizabeth Hicks of Morgantown said while she was not “very informed” about the incident, she feels for the friends and family of the victims.

“My heart goes out to all of the victims of the attacks and their families,” she said. “I hope that as a nation we can learn from the past and realize that radical actions do not reflect the majority mentality.”

Clarksburg resident Steve Johnson said he hopes the country continues to advance in its fight against the attacks.

“It’s really a tragedy,” he said. “We want to fight to where these terrorists don’t have any support.”

Johnson said he thinks the best way to prevent terror attacks is to restrict the spreading of dangerous ideology online.

“If we use methods of cybersecurity, we can hopefully keep the ideas from spreading and advancing worldwide,” he said.

Buckhannon’s Taylor Stacy said some action needs to be taken, but not without an effective plan.

“This is tough to answer, but we need a plan, including how to prevent these attacks from happening again,” he said.

While airstrikes are “a favorite right now,” Stacy said, there is too much collateral damage with accidental civilian deaths.

“In my opinion, that creates more ‘terrorists,’” he said. “Diplomacy and coordination with other allies is the most ideal. You can’t blame Muslims as a whole, but the evil has to be condemned. As a country though, we have to stand together to fight extremism, no matter in what form it appears.”

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