Statistically.......

[OFSO]

Driving into the hi-rise-and-villa holiday establishment of Santa Margarida this morning - it sits like an ugly carbuncle to the west of Roses town - to buy the "Times" I found the first roundabout had a member of the local police forces standing on each entrance and exit. Which made about eight. Drivers were being subject to Hard Looks. Now this isn't unusual here on market days as mid-to-low-albedo gentlemen arrive in white vans stuffed with real genuine Rolex watches, Prada bags, Dolce & Grabit sunglasses, Hermes belts and the like - which, in the rare case of them being fakes (or perhaps not so rare) are seized by the boys in blue and taken off to be resold elsewhere destroyed in secure conditions.

However as there was no market that day - and since we have already had one car bomb detonated here - I can only assume they were looking for those people who are currently causing deaths injuries and misery in Europe.

But as I said, statistically, what are the chances of finding anyone of a terrorist nature by just looking at them ? As a witless reporter on Sky news yesterday asked of someone in Stockholm, "what security measures were in place in the shopping street before the attack ?" to which the answer must have been f*ck all.

Personally I'm resigned to the fact that there will be an attack, probably this summer, probably on a Spanish or Catalan coastal resort, and the only defence is to hope I or any of my friends won't be there when it happens. My (and my wife's) near-misses to date are:

1982, 20 July: The Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombing
1983, 17 December: Harrods
2001, March 17: A car bomb in front of a hotel in Roses, Girona kills a Mossos d'Esquadra police officer. 3 other people were injured.
2005, 7 July: 7/7 central London bombings

...so statistically I've probably had my share.....