ISIS takes responsibility for bombing in London that wounded 29 people.

An image of the bombed tube car. Reuters. 

ISIS has taken responsibility for a bombing in London that wounded 29 people. Reuters. The injured included several that were burned by the bomb and others that were injured while fleeing. The IED used in the attack seems to have been a fizzle and did not fully explode. No suspect has been arrested and the United Kingdom has raised it's threat level to critical, which is the highest level. It is unclear if ISIS was actually responsible for the attack as they have falsely claimed attacks before. It is also unclear if the attack was a "lone wolf" plot or was planned by a larger cell. The attack is the 5th major incident of terrorism in the UK this year. 

My Comment:

It's a minor miracle that this bomb didn't explode fully. Even though this bomb was a fizzle that didn't fully explode, it still hurt almost 30 people. Had the bomb gone off correctly their might have been double digit deaths. Given how crowded these tube trains are, it would have been a horrible incident. Thankfully, that didn't happen. 

The fact that it didn't is significant. From what it sounds like, this probably wasn't a skilled bomb maker. That makes the lone wolf theory on this attack more credible. A larger cell would probably have a better bomb maker and would have likely used a suicide bomber instead of just leaving the bomb there. Still, it's very possible that their is an active cell in London and they just don't have someone who is competent at bomb making. 

What is very important now is to find whoever made this bomb and capture him as soon as possible. As long as that person or persons is on the run they can attempt further attacks. And next time the bomb might actually work. I am guessing that they are hot on the trail and if Donald Trump is correct in that the suspect is known to police than he should be easy to find. I doubt that he has anywhere to run and he will likely be picked up before he can attempt any further attacks. 

Another attack in London by a loser terrorist.These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard. Must be proactive!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017

Speaking of Trump, the above tweet got a lot of noise in the media. Even more noise that the attack itself. For some reason the UK was pissed that Trump said that the there were people being watched by Scotland Yard. There hasn't been any indication that Trump was wrong about what he said, but some people, including Prime Minster Theresa May, weren't happy that Trump said it.

I disagree in general. The UK has always played their terrorism problems very close to the vest and have often downplayed the threat caused by Muslim immigrants. I am guessing that if Trump didn't make that tweet, the world wouldn't have known that the suspect was known to Scotland Yard until long after everyone had stopped caring. Given how dishonest the UK is on this issue, I think Trump did the right thing.

As for ISIS, they haven't been as effective as terrorists lately. They have been attempting quite a few attacks in Europe, but none have been all that spectacular. Their hasn't been another on the scale of the Paris attacks or the Nice ramming. Most of the attacks have been lower scale and less effective.

Why? I think that core ISIS has been greatly disrupted by the massive turn around in Syria and Iraq. With ISIS fighters largely cut off from the rest of the world and their source of income greatly reduced, ISIS doesn't have as much ability to fund and commit acts of terrorism. They have to rely on local forces and people that they inspire to violence. This is obviously a good sign, but I fear that more attacks like this one in London are going to happen.