Terror in Sweden

Oh my God - just I've heard in the news that again such a horrible terror act
happened in Stockholm.

Will that never end??? My heart is aching! All my heartfelt sympathy for the victims and the families of the poor victims. And my deep heartfelt sympathy to all Swedes! X_XX_X

According to the info I've managed to get it was a big truck from Spendrup's Brewery that got hi-jacked on Drottninggatan in Stockholm City shortly before 3 pm this afternoon by some masked man who then took the truck to drive into Åhlen's department store.

Stockholm police authority has a press conference just now, and I'll post here on GH if and when I got more info.

And another thing to say to all my friends on our forum: I don't live in Stockholm, I live about 300 kilometers to the west so I'm totally safe!

gorgik9 said:

According to the info I've managed to get it was a big truck from Spendrup's Brewery that got hi-jacked on Drottninggatan in Stockholm City shortly before 3 pm this afternoon by some masked man who then took the truck to drive into Åhlen's department store.

Stockholm police authority has a press conference just now, and I'll post here on GH if and when I got more info.

And another thing to say to all my friends on our forum: I don't live in Stockholm, I live about 300 kilometers to the west so I'm totally safe!

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Dearest Gorgik9 I'm so happy you are safe - but really, are you TOTALLY safe - are we totally safe???
Let me say one thing: I'm a big football fan - but I'm frighten to visit our stadium here in Berlin. I'm frighten to visit the city where many people are. I'm totally uncertain.
It is more than awful to mistrust your foreign neighbours. But as I can see and feel here the mistrust is growing and growing.

Shelter said:

Dearest Gorgik9 I'm so happy you are safe - but really, are you TOTALLY safe - are we totally safe???
Let me say one thing: I'm a big football fan - but I'm frighten to visit our stadium here in Berlin. I'm frighten to visit the city where many people are. I'm totally uncertain.
It is more than awful to mistrust your foreign neighbours. But as I can see and feel here the mistrust is growing and growing.

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I remember what some wise guy - I think it was Franklin D. Roosevelt - said long time ago: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!"

That's very true: good people can do awful things when deep fear has taken command over them...

Well the info I have now is that the perpetrator managed to kill one person and 15 people are injured, and of the 9 are very seriously injured.

gorgik9 said:

I remember what some wise guy - I think it was Franklin D. Roosevelt - said long time ago: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!"

That's very true: good people can do awful things when deep fear has taken command over them...

Well the info I have now is that the perpetrator managed to kill one person and 15 people are injured, and of the 9 are very seriously injured.

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I have to update: The correct number of persons killed are 4 persons.

The number of people injured are still about 15 persons.

One person has been arrested by the Stockholm police in connection to the deed this afternoon.

Shelter said:

... but really, are you TOTALLY safe - are we totally safe???

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Life lesson: There is no such thing as 100% safe. It does not exist in the real world. It is only our own misconception or ignorance of potential danger that makes us feel we are completely safe.

What does exist is risk - some things are likely to happen (like catching the flu if you teach grade school kids every day), and some things are less likely to happen (being hit and killed by a meteor).

The odds of you being killed by a terrorist is infinitesimally small. You are far more likely to win the lottery or be struck by lightening. That doesn't mean that it is impossible. After all, every year someone wins the lottery and some people are struck by lightening.

But the point is it's not going to be you - you are protected by the crowd - just like huge flocks of birds or schools of fish or herds of bison. Yes - a couple of them are going to get picked off to be someone's dinner, but the huge numbers make it unlikely to happen to any one individual. So being careful and alert is good and pays off, but being fearful and structuring your life around that worse case scenario is a waste of time and happiness.

It is this basic fact of life that terrorists want you to ignore. They want you personally to be very afraid. They want to use that fear to disrupt your life and disrupt the politics of the society in which you live. They want you to forget the odds and instead play on your emotions and the fact that our animal brains don't know the difference between improbable danger and imminent danger. Our brains and emotions tend to treat all danger the same.

So, I say, punch back at the terrorists. Don't give in to the fear. Don't change your life one bit based on hit-by-lightening odds. Instead, pay attention to real threats. For example:

• The odds of being injured while driving your car within ten miles of you home is very high. Pay attention on familiar routes - slow down - assume the guy in the next car is about to have a heart attack and go out of control. (Something much, much more likely to happen to you than being killed by a terrorist.)
• The odds of being seriously injured as a pedestrian when navigating city sidewalks is also very high. Protect yourself - only cross in crosswalks. Even then, assume cars aren't going to pay attention to signals and give them a wide berth.
• Also likely - picking up disease from interacting with objects in a public place. Norovirus, for example, spreads quickly on objects and is not easily killed in the environment. Wash your hands with very warm water several times a day.

Taking these precautions will make you safer (not safe). You will live much longer taking these actions, rather than avoiding public places out of a fear of terrorists.

Thank you Topdog for your very worldly-wise words. When I've read them - honestly - I've felt as if you have taken me in your arms. You have given back to me a little bit of my inner peace. Thank you for it! And let me tell you: similar like you my BF said the same words.

Nonetheless it is so horrible what happened to the families of these 4 victims and to the 15 injured persons. "Injured" it sounds so harmless - but will they overcome this trauma?!

I'm deeply shocked about this inhumanity. Paris, Brussels, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Stockholm. Where is the next???? Why are these people so deluded???? - Well - so many questions and no answers!!!

Shelter said:

Thank you Topdog for your very worldly-wise words. When I've read them - honestly - I've felt as if you have taken me in your arms. You have given back to me a little bit of my inner peace. Thank you for it! And let me tell you: similar like you my BF said the same words.

Nonetheless it is so horrible what happened to the families of these 4 victims and to the 15 injured persons. "Injured" it sounds so harmless - but will they overcome this trauma?!

I'm deeply shocked about this inhumanity. Paris, Brussels, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Stockholm. Where is the next???? Why are these people so deluded???? - Well - so many questions and no answers!!!

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What about the inhumanity that is happening in the middle-east where many innocent people are being killed every day? Do you ever think about them? Thankfully, the atrocities that are happening in Europe are very few, so we should feel relatively safe here. The vast majority of refugees in Europe are escaping from war zones -- they are not terrorists, so to view them all with suspicion is just being paranoid.

dale72 said:

What about the inhumanity that is happening in the middle-east where many innocent people are being killed every day? Do you ever think about them? Thankfully, the atrocities that are happening in Europe are very few, so we should feel relatively safe here. The vast majority of refugees in Europe are escaping from war zones -- they are not terrorists, so to view them all with suspicion is just being paranoid.

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Dear Dale72, perhaps I'm paranoid - but I think to be a little bit paranoid can save your life. But a single question: is it justified to repay inhumanity with inhumanity? It would be better for the mankind to follow the former President Mandelas example!!!

Shelter said:

Dear Dale72, perhaps I'm paranoid - but I think to be a little bit paranoid can save your life.

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Do you feel paranoid when crossing the road, or travelling in a car? Because you are far, far more likely to die in a road accident than in a terrorist attack. My post was to reassure you that you are relatively safe, and that you should continue with your life in a normal way without fear. Remember that if we feel fear, the terrorists win -- we must never allow that.

Shelter said:

But a single question: is it justified to repay inhumanity with inhumanity? It would be better for the mankind to follow the former President Mandelas example!!!

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You are right of course, but I'm not sure why you are asking me this question, dear Shelter. The terrorist attacks in Europe are committed by ISIS sympathisers -- they are committing these acts not as revenge for the death of innocent people being killed in the middle-east, but because they are Jihadists who hate the West. In fact it is ISIS who is mostly responsible for the death of innocent people, including many Muslims. I'm not sure if you are aware that vast majority of Muslims are against ISIS, and they are allied with the West in fighting them.

Swedish street the day after the terrorist attack



My heart goes out to the people that were hurt. But I know the country will honor them by continuing to be the wonderful, open, kind and curious society that Sweden is.

I thought I should update you on what's been happening in Stockholm the last few days:

On Sunday there was a big manifestation for love and peace in central Stockholm on Sergel's Torg; about 45000 people attended.

Yesterday (monday 10 April) the police authority commisioned a detention order for a 39 years old man from Uzbekistan; this man has confessed to the deed on Friday afternoon.

The police investigation will, however, probably be long and complicated, wanting to hopefully get hold of all others involved in the attac.

But it feels great that the police got hold of the perpetrator so fast. It's a comfort and a relief.

gorgik9 said:

But it feels great that the police got hold of the perpetrator so fast. It's a comfort and a relief.

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Gorgik9, dear friend, you are so right. That has been very good police-work. I've seen in our TV the many thousands of people at the Sergel's Torg. I don't know if that will be a great consolation for the surviving dependants or the other victims. But nonetheless for the world it is a massive sign of cohesion of people. They may be powerless in front of this terror but they take themselves by their arms and they stand together. A wonderful sign of lived solidarity.