Random thoughts:
- I have a friend in Paris, who was earlier checked as "safe" on Facebook, but is not anymore. I have no idea why. She hasn't updated her Facebook, but then again I'm not sure if she even uses it very regurarly. (At least she rarely posts anything I see.) I'm a bit weirded out by that. It's not like she's in any way close, but still. A really nice, smart girl. Really hope she's okay.
- The targets include a soccer game between two major NATO countries, played in the national stadium of France, while the French president was there. Another target was a rock concert by an American band in a (locally) famous venue. I'm sure the terrorist are very happy with their pickings.
- These attacks resemble
the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Those attacks were made by
Lashkar-e-Taiba, an extremist islamist group. Another similar attack is the
Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi, perpetrated by al-Shabaab, another extremist islamist group with connections to al-Qaeda. Since all these attacks have been spectacularly succesful by terrorist standards, they're going to keep trying these big attacks.
- As for the relationship between ISIS and al-Qaeda, ISIS was originally a part of al-Qaeda, but al-Qaeda cut ties with them in early 2014. AFAIK mostly as a result of an internal power struggle. Mostly it's the same s**t under different flags. Both consider themselves global organizations, which is why they're so interesting to us in the west. (Unlike the numerous extremist islamist organizations which are locally focused.)