"This is the attack everybody has been dreading for at least a couple of years. This is really important because it is the essence of terrorism, it is not only about people being killed it is about creating a political effect. What worries me the most is that we will see in France and other European countries a polarisation, with different extremists egging each other on. People on the far right trying to take advantage. It's about dividing societies. This was a big attack but even relatively small attacks are dangerous because of the political situation, because of the chain reaction they can cause."
Peter Neumann, Professor of Security Studies, King's College London