In what critics have described as a bizarre twist of logic, CNN and MSNBC spent what little airtime they chose to devote to another major terrorist attack in Europe to posing the question of whether Islamic jihadis were actually influenced by the events in Charlottesville.
Regardless of the fact that vehicular attacks have been promoted and encouraged for years by ISIS propagandists, the networks seriously asked whether the latest horrific attack which killed 14 people and injured hundreds was a copycat of the incident in Virginia.
“[I]n light of the uproar over the last several days, five days apart, you have white supremacists in Charlottesville use a vehicle to kill, and here you have — attackers at least following the modus operandi of terrorists using vehicles, apparently to kill as well. And it’s that — those shared tactics that should be alarming.” said CNN Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Scuitto.
“Yeah, and there will be questions about copycats. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer chimed in.
“There will be questions if what happened in Barcelona, was at all, at all, a copycat version of what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. Even though they may be different characters, different political ambitions, they used the same killing device, a vehicle going at high speed into a group, a large group of pedestrians.” Blitzer added.
Over at MSNBC, terrorism analyst Malcolm Nance, who has previously called for ISIS to attack President Trump’s properties, made the same claim that the Barcelona attacker was inspired by Charlottesville:
“I have to put this into context. The attack in Charlottesville that we saw was just an American version of this same style of attack. And interestingly enough, with the intensity of information that we’ve had related to the Charlottesville incident over the last five days, it’s quite possible that may have precipitated this terrorist group’s, you know, desire to gain the limelight and carry out a similar attack.” Nance stated.
Earlier in the day, Sciutto took to Twitter to insist that professor and author Ian Bremmer should add Charlottesville to a list of European terror attacks in the past year using vehicles.
Vehicle terror attacks in Europe, 2017:
London 3/22
Stockholm 4/7
London 6/3
London 6/19
Paris 6/19
Paris 8/9
Barcelona 8/17— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) August 17, 2017
Plus #Charlottesville VA 8/12 https://t.co/gpsVyZIGJ4
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 17, 2017
Other tweeters jumped on Scuitto for the simple fact that Virginia is not in Europe:
https://twitter.com/KevinA830/status/898271433259982850
Charlottesville isn't in Europe, you idiot.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) August 17, 2017
Virginia is not in Europe but you've earned your 10 points for virtue signaling.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 17, 2017
No, my friend. Point is simply that extremists of different stripes are using same deadly tactic.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 17, 2017
I'm aware
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) August 17, 2017
Fox News tweeted out a similar list and it triggered verified leftists into demanding Charlottesville be added:
https://twitter.com/FoxNewsResearch/status/898228270222782464
Leaving out the Charlottesville attack is despicable. Shame on you.
— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) August 17, 2017
Imagine writing a story about a deadly van attack in Spain & not once mentioning the deadly van attack in your own country 5 days ago. https://t.co/hPV3yHxvY6
— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) August 17, 2017
https://twitter.com/StephLauren/status/898270290303631360
Think you missed one. https://t.co/LuV0qCdWyH
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) August 17, 2017
Hmm, looks like one is missing… https://t.co/BZGhKeVLuY
— Eliot Higgins (@EliotHiggins) August 17, 2017
Why just highlight the European ones? It's a dodge to avoid them saying 'muslim' vehicular attacks.
— Paul Chapman (@PaulChapman_) August 17, 2017
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