Terrorist attacks on public transport

Abstract

Public transport represents the first choice of a great part of global population when selecting a mode of travel, because it is, above all, economical. On the other hand, precisely due to its mass, this system is vulnerable. Data from 2017 show that the Moscow Metro is used by 6.9 million passengers a day, and the passenger flow in the morning is 6 passengers per second. It is not difficult for terrorists to remain unnoticed in this crowd. The events of previous decades show that public transport was a frequent choice when selecting the target of an attack, primarily because public transport is mass, relatively unsecured and easy for infiltration. In addition, such attacks are reported in the media. The paper considers the concept of terrorism and tactics used during attacks on public transport. Motives that inspire individuals to undertake such destructive actions are also discussed. With a theoretical emphasis on previous terrorist attacks, the objective of the paper is to provide guidelines that can mobilise all social factors in order to prevent such attacks in the future, primarily through the education of individuals.