Former FBI agents Clint Watts and Frank Figliuzzi concurred that the Waukesha mass fatality episode was different from earlier events.
Watts questioned why the driver would swerve around trying not to hit anyone if he meant to murder as many people as possible.
“It was a very unusual video, and I having looked at other terrorist attacks which were vehicle-borne attacks,” said Watts. “They are quite different. I am confused of what to make of it. The driver in some places seemed to deliberately mow over people and other places to dodge them. So, I think there is a lot to learn to be honest, and I don’t think we should probably jump to any conclusions right at the outset because it is very strange if you’ve watched any of the videos and there is a lot of it online I would not encourage people to watch it because it is traumatic. It is a very strange incident.”
He went on to add that there were a lot of cops at the event and that terrorists hunt for sites where there aren’t any cops.
“Usually, a vehicle-borne attack, if the goal is to produce lots of casualties, they wouldn’t stop and only hit one person,” Watts continued. “What is odd in the video is at times the vehicle seems to be hitting and colliding with people apparently deliberately other times not. That is unusual. It is also strange in terms of circumstances with the barricades. There was a heavy law enforcement presence. This is known. They knew there was a parade and there would be law enforcement.”
“A lot of the other vehicle-borne attacks do the reverse and seek out places like in Barcelona where they know there is no law enforcement presence so they can inflict the most damage,” he continued. “Is this a symbolic event? Is this related to other criminal activity we don’t know about? There are a lot of confusing things in the video that doesn’t match with what I’ve seen from other vehicle-borne attacks on places of high population density like the west side highway for example.”
Some members of the “Milwaukee Dancing Grannies” were among the dead in the Sunday night event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, when a driver smashed an SUV through a Christmas parade.
In a post shared on the group’s Facebook page, the grannies wrote that they were ‘devastated’ to confirm that some of their members were among the dead,” reported correspondent Jamie Ross. “‘Our group was doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness,’ the group wrote. ‘While performing the grannies enjoyed hearing the crowd’s cheers and applause which certainly brought smiles to their faces and warmed their hearts. Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies. Their eyes gleamed… joy of being a Grannie. They were the glue… held us together.'”
Five persons had been reported killed as of Monday morning. A priest and several Catholic school children are among the 40 people hurt. A person of interest has been apprehended.
Officials think that the driver, who was described by witnesses as “cool and composed” as he slammed his SUV into the throng, was fleeing the scene of another crime.
