Mid-Missouri terrorism expert weighs in on truck attack in France

At least 80 people were killed and more than 100 were injured in Nice, France Thursday night as a tractor-trailer plowed through a large crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day.

The driver was shot and killed by police. The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened a terrorism investigation.

“It doesn’t have to take somebody with a bomb. It doesn’t take anyone with a machine gun or a high powered weapon,” said Paul Fennewald, former Missouri Homeland Security Coordinator. “It doesn’t take a lot of sophistication. If someone is bent on doing harm to other people, they can do it with a vehicle as we saw here.”

It’s the second mass terror attack in France in less than a year. On November 13, 2015, 130 people died in planned suicide bombings and shootings across Paris. It was the worst terror attack on the country in 11 years.

The attack in Nice comes one month after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida where 49 people were shot and killed by a single gunman.

Fennewald said the attacks seem to be coming “the norm.”

“It can happen anywhere even in the smallest town.It doesn’t have to be a major city,” he said. “Go on about your business, but pay attention to what’s going on around you.”

Fennewald advises summer travelers to continue on with their plans this year. He said there are simple things you can do to be prepared in the event of an attack.

He said know how to get in contact with people and find an alternate method of communication in case cell signals are down. He said be aware of your surroundings and report and suspicious activity to authorities.

“They’re [law enforcement] preventing terrorism right now as we speak.” he said “People should be confident that our law enforcement and first responders are working day and night to keep them safe.”

Click here for a list of warning signs of terrorism.