What are Vehicle as a Weapon Attacks?
Vehicle As a Weapon (VAW) attacks involve the use of a vehicle to cause harm to individuals or damage to infrastructure. Driving a vehicle into crowds is regarded by terrorists as attractive because it is likely to cause multiple casualties, is low complexity, affordable, requires little planning and skill and is perceived as less likely to be detected in the planning phase.
Methodology
A vehicle may be deliberately driven:
- at an individual or into crowds of people to cause harm; or
- into infrastructure or assets to damage or disrupt its operation. This may indirectly lead to harm to people or disruption to the operation of a site/event, or more widely, critical services or supplies
During a VAW attack, the terrorist is unlikely to comply with the rules of the road. Terrorists may traverse over green spaces such as parks or fields, park illegally just before the attack then speed, ignore traffic signals, drive on the wrong side of the road, mount footways and enter pedestrianised zones.
However, as the intent is to harm as many people as possible during a VAW attack, they are less likely to drive in a manner that risks ending the attack prematurely: rendering the vehicle unusable or seriously injuring themselves. Consequently, the terrorist may tend to avoid obstacles, including relatively insubstantial ones.
Using vehicles in layered attacks
A vehicle could be utilised on its own but are also frequently part of a Layered Attack. The vehicle may:
- facilitate the delivery of armed attackers, either covertly or overtly; or
- enable and be combined with another attack type, such as a VAW or VBIED attack, or facilitate a Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) using bladed weapons, firearms or Fire as a Weapon.
Case studies
The deadliest VAW attack to date is the 14 July 2016 attack in Nice, France, where 86 people were killed by a lorry after it drove into crowds during Bastille Day celebrations.
The VAW attack methodology was used in the UK-based attack on the Finsbury Park Mosque in June 2017. Darren Osbourne killed one person and injured nine after he drove a van into a crowd near the London mosque.
Protective security guidance links
For additional information on protective security options to protect against VAW attacks we recommend: