A few weeks ago I found out that my pilot friend has turned from his Wahabiism and Muslim Brotherhood (which group idolises Erdogan, that I strongly suspect a member of) conspiracy tendencies into a normal person. At least from his facebook post, he became even more liberal-leaning. But the other one, working for Dubai is still not. I get the sense that every normal human being, Paris-lover, sausage-fan, German football team supporter guy like him could one day be driven into the likes of would-be attacker. And he doesn't have to do much to make a silly phone video declaring last-minute ISIS pledge of allegiance. It was enough to send the whole western security services into panick and admire ISIS global network of attackers, while in fact, they have none, just a normal "westernised" person being lunatic at a time and actually took the chance. The Turkish riot police were probably not "that underground secret scheming terrorist cell" with fanatical outbursts as shown in many western interpretation, like some neo nazi ganging up to plan their march through the city. They could be one of the guy in my Facebook friend's list, working for a British recording company, fancying Sex Pistols, suddenly triggered by one of Trump quotes or Palestinian sad news and took that chance.
Chance? Yes! When I was in Rome or Milan, standing in the middle of Colloseum or Piazza del Duomo, give me unsettling thoughts of how easy it was for a random guy to inflict so much casualities. Nobody was even remotely alert. My brother reaffirmed my worries: yes, Firenze or Pisa's narrow streets makes it less possible, but these Rome and Milan plazas are very vulnerable. The two Carabineris posted in every public places won't do much. In Asian / Latin American countries, when we saw the militaries or police forces in full gear, we saw security. In western countries, I get this sense that they immidiately assumes military presence to be "living under fear", worries, tyranny, and so on. Good thing we put those VABs and a platoon of well armed army soldiers near the German embassy. So yeah, useless bloodshed for both.