UK will overcome attack’ Omanis in London believe

 Omani students in London have spoken of their fears after the latest terror attack but say the UK’s capital city will bounce back.

That sentiment was echoed by travel agents in Oman who say it’s business as usual for Omanis heading to London in spite of a third terror attack in the UK since March. 

On Saturday night, suspected militants drove a van at high speed into pedestrians on London Bridge, before stabbing revellers in nearby streets, killing at least seven people and wounding close to 50, many with life threatening injuries. Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that Britain is under now threat of copycat terror attacks in the wake of the London Bridge atrocity and that ‘enough is enough’.

Alia Al Farsi, a student at a University in London said, “I am shocked. The UK has been hit by another attack in such a small time. There was Westminster, Manchester and now London again.

“I was shivering when I first heard of the attacks. I didn’t go out on Sunday morning but my friends have told me that the Omani embassy here has put out some warnings about not to go to busy areas. I am still shocked and I don’t even know what to say. I am in touch with my family since this morning and they are so worried about my safety. I am sure the UK will overcome this attack soon.”

Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) issued a statement on the incident, in which three attackers were shot dead by police:

“The Sultanate condemns the car and stabbing attack that occurred in London.”

The Embassy of Oman in London also issued statements asking Omani citizens to remain cautious following the London attacks.

They told Omanis in the UK capital to avoid congested spaces, including London’s Borough Market, an area targeted by the terrorists.

They also asked that Omani citizens follow the instructions of local authorities and the Metropolitan Police.

The Oman Cultural Attaché Office in London also issued a warning for all nationals to follow local authority instructions.

Despite the incidents, travel agents in Oman say that they have not noticed any fall in numbers of people travelling to the UK.

“Travel to the UK from Oman is going on fine. We have not observed an impact in the last past few months, it’s on as usual,” said Sunil Prabhakar, Chief Executive Officer at Travel Point.

The General Manager of another travel agency, which has offices in Al Seeb and Ruwi, said: “When the Manchester and Westminster attacks happened we had a pretty good number of people wanting to travel to the UK but they were a little worried before travelling. However until now we have not faced any cancellations and people are due to fly as they were scheduled. Usually business travellers are fine to travel often.”

It’s the second attack this year in London and the third on UK soil, prompting Prime Minister Theresa May’s “enough is enough” warning to terror groups.

On March 22 this year, an attacker drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and Bridge Street, injuring more than 50 people, four of them fatally, outside the Houses of Parliament. On 22 May, a suicide bomber killed 22 people at Manchester Arena following a concert by American singer Ariana Grande.

Omani students in the UK, specifically in and around London, say they are worried. “I woke up at 7am on Sunday and my phone was flooded with missed calls and text messages from my family back in Oman. They were really worried about the attack and until then I was not even aware of what had happened. A couple of my friends in London texted me as well to ask if I was okay,” said Sakina Al Lawati, an Omani studying in Coventry.

Source: Timesofoman