This carpet has a nasty surprise for would-be ISIS attackers

Nov 1, 2018 9:19 PM PDT

1 minute read

SUMMARY

If one attack has become the signature of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in recent years, it’s an attack on civilians using a vehicle to slam into them and cause death and mayhem. Now, London is deploying new technology that can sto…

If one attack has become the signature of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in recent years, it's an attack on civilians using a vehicle to slam into them and cause death and mayhem.

Now, London is deploying new technology that can stop these attacks in their tracks.

According to a report by the International Business Times, the Talon was deployed this past Sunday to protect a parade with active and former members of the Royal Navy at Whitehall in the capital of the United Kingdom. The system not only featured tungsten spikes to puncture tires, it also has a net to halt a vehicle weighing up to 17 tons.

It took two cops less than a minute to deploy the Talon, a vehicle net and spikes intended to stop an ISIS-style vehicle attack. (London Metropolitan Police)

A release by the London Metropolitan Police noted that the system is also designed to ensure that the vehicle is only able to go in a straight line. The system is also designed to make it easier for officers to engage some ISIS-inspired terrorist wannabe after the vehicle is stopped.

The "Met" noted in the release that it takes less than a minute for two police officers to deploy the system. Similar "stop sticks" have been used by law enforcement to quickly end police chases by deflating the tires of vehicles within five seconds.

This is accomplished by using hollow spikes to puncture the tires and let the air out in a manner that doesn't cause the tires to blow out and potentially cause an accident.

StopStick.com, a leading manufacturer, notes that the devices have been successfully used over 21,000 times in ending pursuits.

In the past, a number of vehicle attacks inspired by ISIS have caused significant damage. In Nice, France, 86 people were killed when a terrorist used a truck to drive through a crowd on July 14, 2016. Similar attacks at London Bridge and Westminster Bridge combined to leave 12 dead in the summer of 2017.