The tragedy in Norway serves as a shocking reminder that terrorist attacks don't always follow the script. Like the 1995 Oklahoma City bomb, the knee-jerk reaction to the explosion in Oslo was to point the finger at Islamist militants, presumably carrying out a revenge attack for Norway's role in Afghanistan. Only later did it emerge that the culprit was in fact a home-grown militant. The inherent unpredictability of terrorist attacks makes it incredibly hard for security services to protect us. Who would have considered Oslo a likely target? The security services have doubtless foiled many plots that could have killed and injured large numbers, but as the recent attacks demonstrate it is impossible to stop every one.
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