Marathon Nightmare

The bomb attack in Boston reminds us of the vulnerability of an open society, and that the defense of that society is a marathon without end.

The scenes are tragically familiar: bloodied people, fleeing people, panic, chaos, fear, despair.

Several hours later, a grave president reassures the nation that the guilty shall be hunted down, captured and brought to justice.

Boston’s classic marathon of 2013 is going to receive a special place in the history books after last Monday’s bombings, which claimed at least three lives and injured more than 170.

Terror seems to have struck America once again, though the question that everyone is asking themselves — who and why — has, as this is being written, not yet been answered.

It could be a crazed loner or a terrorist. The wisest course is to be open to all possibilities. As Anders Behring Breivik demonstrated with murderous effect, the threat can come from a different direction than expected.

As Jakob Scharf, chief of Politiets Efterretningstjeneste,* stated at the beginning of the year, the threat today is “more fragmented, dynamic and complex, and therefore also more unpredictable.”

It’s Not Just Denmark

In this case, security experts doubt if there is any previously known group or terrorist organization that lies behind it.

“As long as we don’t see any more, this smells like a school shooter who has tried to tackle simpler bombs instead. I think it’s that type of lone individual.”

Several American experts have expressed themselves in the same manner. One reason for this assessment is that the bombs seem to have been rather primitive and the number of fatalities therefore was relatively low.

Reports were divided over the bombs’ construction: black powder or the explosive C-4 with some form of shrapnel and possibly ball bearings included. Even with simple means one can cause great harm.

With approximately 25,000 runners and tens of thousands of spectators lining the streets, an arrangement like the Boston marathon is an enormous challenge for security — and those who are responsible for safety must succeed every time. There is no room for errors of judgment.

At the same time, everyone knows that 100 percent success is not possible indefinitely.

It is a marathon but with no end in sight. In many ways a nightmare.

To maintain the necessary balance between vigilance and openness is not simple.

The state has an obligation to protect its citizens, to guard their lives and their health, but also to guard their civil liberties.

The society that can guarantee that no lone maniac, no ideologically motivated person or group can harm innocents, commit terrorist acts, doesn’t exist.

If it did, the question is — who would want to live in such a police state.

*Editor’s note: The national security intelligence agency of Denmark.