On five occasions this week AlertsUSA subscribers were notified via SMS messages to their mobile devices regarding a variety of safety and security matters.
Starting on Tuesday, AlertsUSA subscribers were some of the first in the U.S. to learn of a vehicle ramming attack in Trier, Germany. In this incident, a man driving a Land Rover SUV zigzagged at high speed along more than 500 meters of a pedestrian shopping street in the Germany's oldest city, killing five people, including a 9-month-old toddler, and seriously injuring more than a dozen others. The street along which the attack occurred is narrow and lined by buildings on both sides, which gave the victims little chance to flee.
The SUV eventually came to a stop after being rammed by multiple police vehicles.
According to Trier mayor Wolfram Leibe, the male driver, a 51-year-old German national who was arrested by police, had gone “on a rampage” and the attack was intentional. As is normally the case in politically correct Germany, officials stated the motive for the attack was unknown, but that it was not ideologically based.
Also on Tuesday, AlertsUSA subscribers notified of a security alert issued by the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany warning of the need for increased security awareness following the attack.
Readers are reminded that on December 19, 2016, a loaded truck was deliberately driven into the large Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, leaving 12 people dead and 56 others injured, including two Americans.
On Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were also notified of a security alert issued by the U.S. Embassy in Geneva, Switzerland warning of the ongoing threat posed by transnational terrorist organizations and individuals inspired by violent extremist ideology throughout Europe.
"Violent extremists continue to focus on locations such as Christmas holiday markets, shopping malls, airports, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, transportation hubs, and other soft targets frequented by tourists."
AlertsUSA further cautions readers that while many public holiday events have been reduced in size or canceled as a result of the pandemic, ongoing caution and vigilance is urged as many of the normal protective measures such as bollards and other vehicle barriers have also been reduced or eliminated.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages to their mobile devices, of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens as events warrant.