[The Great RJ]

Some years ago I had an unnerving experience on the Paris metro. I had just finished a night boat trip on the Seine with my wife, her sister and my brother-in-law. The cab driver would only take three people so since I spoke French I opted to take the metro back to the hotel. The car was mostly empty, but two obviously Muslim men got on at the next stop. They did not take a seat and stood in the back appearing to be surveying the car. They both had backpacks. I got off at the next stop and took an alternate route back to the hotel. I expected to learn about a metro attack in the news during the next few days.

Perhaps I was just being paranoid, but the London subway bombing had only been a few months before and I was on alert.

[laplata]

Wise move on your part.

[Grimmy]

Situational Awareness.

It’ll give you indigestion every time. But, on the other hand, indigestion is survivable.

[Cold Heart]

They were probably like the flying mullahs, soft terrorism and probing.

[Rodamala]

My Great Uncle married a French woman he had met after the war. A few years back my mother and father accompanied him to France to vacation and visit family. I distinctly remember the warning from my Uncle to my Father about the “push picks” that crowd you at the turnstyles to scam free fares, but what they are really doing is a distraction tactic to try and lift yourwallet. That trip, my Uncle demonstrated awareness as some scumbag tried to get his wallet... Uncle grabbing the guy by the wrist as he made his move. Had my 85 year-old Uncle been home in Florida instead of Paris the thug woulda been facing the barrel of a loaded Glock.

[Alas Babylon!]

Back in 1995 I was on the Paris Metro one late night waiting for a train with my friends and someone let off a big can of mace. There were a couple of flics (Gendarmerie) who were the first to run away up the escalators! Bastiges! We stayed behind to help an old lady out. We all were hacking and coughing the rest of the night.