It all started in Baghdad when an Iraqi man hurled his shoes at the U.S. president George W. Bush in 2008. I was shocked by the news and even more shocked when I watched the video footage. The million dollar question is - are world leaders safe?One year later, 2009, attacks on public figures and world leaders have increased.
On December 13, 2009, a man threw a statue at the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, during a rally in Milan. The Italian leader was not so lucky like former U.S. president - George Bush. He was struck and injured in the face. Where was his security team?
Less than two weeks later, December 24, 2009, a woman jumped over a barricade in St. Peter's Basilica and knocked down the Pope - Benedict XVI, at the start of the Pope's Christmas Eve mass. Where was the Vatican security?
The aforementioned disturbing events have left many questions lingering in my mind: Are world leaders safe? If yes, why were the aforementioned leaders vulnerable to attacks? Why were they assailable? Who is next? What would be the gravity of the next attack? (God forbid).
In case you didn't notice, both assailants in Italy were said to be "unstable." Prime Minister Berlusconi's assailant, Massimo Tartaglia, 42, was arrested and questioned by the police. The police later said he suffered from "psychological problems" in the past. On December 24, after the papal knock-down, the assailant was taken away by the Vatican security and questioned. The Vatican spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, later said the assailant appeared to be "unstable." Do all assailants have "psychological" problems nowadays? Is this setting a precedent? These are tough questions which should be answered.
In a nutshell, you'd agree that these are tough times and tough times require tough measures.
What are your thoughts? Are world leaders safe?
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