Festive Crowds, Enduring Terror Risks Worldwide
From 2020 through 2025, global terrorism has repeatedly demonstrated that periods of celebration whether religious holidays, New Year’s festivities, or crowded cultural events remain attractive targets for violent actors seeking maximum psychological impact.
Indeed, the strategic logic of
terrorism increasingly exploits not only symbolic dates but also high-density
public spaces where disruption can amplify fear far beyond the immediate
victims. This evolving threat environment holds stark lessons for nations like
Malaysia, which must balance open civic life with the imperative of public
safety.
A series of high-profile
incidents highlights the ongoing and varied nature of the threat. In late 2025,
an attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach left at least 16
people dead and many others injured, showing how violence can reach even
public, family-oriented events despite prior security warnings that proved
insufficient.
Earlier in 2025, American
authorities were confronted with a deadly vehicle-ramming attack in New
Orleans’ French Quarter on New Year’s Day, in which a driver flying an ISIS
flag killed 15 people amid holiday crowds before being killed in a police
shootout.
These vehicle attacks straightforward
in execution but devastating in impact reflect wider global trends, including
attempted assaults on Christmas markets in Germany and other European cities,
as well as the arrests of suspected plotters aiming to target holiday events.
These contemporary cases are part
of a wider continuum. In March 2024, a coordinated assault at Crocus City Hall
in Russia - a concert venue filled with civilians resulted in at least 149
deaths and more than 600 injuries.
Although it falls outside the
2020–2025 period, the 2020 attack in Vienna’s city centre where a gunman opened
fire on civilians in a busy area serves as a stark reminder of how low-tech
violence in crowded urban spaces can deeply undermine public confidence.
Even outside explicitly religious
holidays, events tied to communal gathering, such as festivals and markets,
attract both inspired and directed extremist attacks around the world.
Compounding the tragedy is the
role of plots that are detected and disrupted before they are carried out.
Turkish authorities’ 2025 arrests of more than 100 suspected Islamic State
members allegedly planning attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations
highlight that threats often extend beyond realised violence; they permeate
planning cycles, exploit symbolic dates, and force states to mobilise resources
in anticipation of possible strikes.
These incidents reveal several
dynamics. First, the diversity of perpetrators from foreign terrorist fighters
pledging allegiance to international organisations, to self-radicalised
individuals with local grievances — defies monolithic threat models.
Second, the choice of festive
periods and crowded public spaces is deliberate: terrorists aim not only for
casualties but for the amplification of fear, media attention, and societal
disruption.
Third, pre-attack warnings and
intelligence successes underscore the critical role of proactive counterterror
efforts, yet also the limits of detection in an age of decentralised, networked
radicalisation.
For Malaysia, which prides itself
on multicultural harmony and vibrant public life, this pattern demands serious
introspection and strategic adaptation. Key public spaces are especially
pertinent:
Airports, train stations, and bus
terminals are lifelines of urban and intercity mobility, but also magnets for
high-profile attacks. Malaysia’s rail and air networks should integrate layered
security from advanced surveillance analytics and automated threat detection to
behavioural profiling and rapid response teams.
Equally important is resilient
architecture: physical barriers, controlled access points, and redundant
communication systems reduce both the likelihood and impact of attacks.
These commercial hubs draw local
and tourist crowds, especially during festive seasons. International experience
shows that even basic attacks (vehicle ramming, stabbings, or small arms
assaults) can overwhelm unprepared security.
Malaysia could require
standardised risk assessments for malls, enforce security protocols for large
events, and enhance coordination between private security and national
counterterror agencies. Equipping staff with crisis response training and
establishing clear evacuation plans are practical, yet often overlooked, layers
of resilience.
Attacks on worshippers not only
cause physical harm but also inflame communal tensions. The Bondi Beach
shooting targeting a religious celebration illustrates how extremist violence
can intersect with hatred against specific communities.
In Malaysia’s pluralistic
context, protective strategies should emphasize community engagement: regular
dialogue between religious leaders and law enforcement, discreet security
during major festivals, and community reporting mechanisms that respect civil
liberties while improving situational awareness.
Large spectator venues
concentrate tens of thousands of people and feature complex ingress and egress
patterns. Effective security here must blend technology (screening scanners,
drones, AI-assisted monitoring) with crowd management protocols capable of rapid
detection and mitigation without inducing panic.
Across all domains, Malaysia must
resist the temptation to equate visibility with effectiveness.
Over-securitisation like shuttering celebrations entirely would hand extremists
a psychological victory and undermine public confidence.
Instead, intelligence-led,
community-embedded strategies that preserve openness while enhancing
preparedness are essential. Public awareness campaigns, clear communication
about threat levels, and involvement of civil society in resilience planning
contribute to a culture of vigilance without fear.
The global record from 2020 to
2025 makes a stark point: terrorism adapts, exploiting symbolic timing and
crowd psychology to project disproportionate influence. Malaysia’s challenge is
to adopt a similarly adaptive posture harnessing technology, community
networks, and strategic foresight to protect public life without diminishing
its vibrancy.
In the end, safeguarding public
spaces during periods of celebration is not a concession to fear, but a
commitment to ensuring that shared joy remains possible and secure for all.
1.1.2026
Kuala Lumpur.
© All rights reserved.
Comments