Hotels as terrorist targets

One of the things that shouldn’t surprise us, but somehow always does, is the militant jihadi focus on particular targets like hotels. Very often hotels are the preferred and prevalent target for VBIEDs and suicide bombers. Here’s a quick “off the top of my head” list

• Marriott Islamabad
• Pearl Continental Peshawar
• Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai
• Oberoi Hotel Mumbai
• JW Marriott Indonesia
• Sheraton Hotel Karachi
• Paradise Hotel Kenya
• Hilton Taba Hotel, Egypt
• CS Pattani Hotel, Thailand
• Radisson Hotel, Amman Jordan
• Hyatt Hotel, Amman Jordan
• Palestine Hotel Baghdad

All the above have been attacked to varying degrees over the past few years – it is clear hotels are a tempting target for your average jihadi terrorist. I’m sure my friends at HMS could add to the list even more.

So, the first question is – why hotels? I think there are several reasons:

• Population density
• Symbol of western ownership/economy
• Very often in developing countries, hotels are a focus for local politics and international visitors – journalists, aid workers, visiting politicians
• Security is always tricky – hotels don’t want to intimidate guests but they want to be secure – getting the balance right is very difficult. How much is the average hotel guard paid?

Second question – what can first responders do? I think there are several things:

• Visit hotels if for nothing else to recce your command post should an incident occur. Get the detail you need – gas mains, electrical power, shelter from VBIEDs, range to entry point or other possible target area. What's ROV access like at the gate?
• Talk to the hotel about their security plans and emergency plans. The terrorists appear to have worked out how to open the gates – have you?
• Encourage hotel management to take the threat seriously.

Plenty to think about, take a look at the hotels in your city and see if they are vulnerable or not. You might be surprised at their level of security.

Update on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 5:23PM by Roger Davies

Another VBIED attack on a hotel today - Somalia this time with a security minister and visting diplomats killed.  Al Shabab, the local Al Qaeda frnahcise have claimed it.

Comments

[no-one]

very interesting ;)