** ** Exclusive: After Westgate, Interpol Chief Ponders 'Armed Citizenry'****
Oct. 21, 2013**** By JOSH MARGOLIN**** http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-westgate-interpol-chief-ponders-armed-citizenry/story?id=20637341&singlePage=true **** ** ** **** ** ** Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble said today the U.S. and the rest of* *** the democratic world is at a security crossroads in the wake of last month's **** deadly al-Shabab attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya - and suggested **** an answer could be in arming civilians.**** ** ** In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Noble said there are really only*** * two choices for protecting open societies from attacks like the one on**** Westgate mall where so-called "soft targets" are hit: either create secure** ** perimeters around the locations or allow civilians to carry their own guns** ** to protect themselves.**** ** ** "Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem,"** ** Noble said. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the**** reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order* *** to get into the soft target you're going to have to pass through**** extraordinary security."**** ** ** Noble's comments came only moments after the official opening of the 82nd*** * annual gathering of the Interpol's governing body, the General Assembly. The **** session is being held in Cartagena, Colombia, and is being used to highlight **** strides over the last decade in Colombia's battle against the notorious drug **** cartels that used to be the real power in the country.**** ** ** The secretary general, an American who previously headed up all law**** enforcement for the U.S. Treasury Department, told reporters during a brief* *** news conference that the Westgate mall attack marks what has long been seen* *** as "an evolution in terrorism." Instead of targets like the Pentagon and**** World Trade Center that now have far more security since 9/11, attackers are **** focusing on sites with little security that attract large numbers of people. **** ** ** At least 67 were killed over a period of days at the Westgate mall, more**** than 60 of the dead were civilians. The Somalia-based al Qaeda-allied terror **** group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack as it was ongoing but* *** investigators are still trying to determine exactly who planned the strike,* *** where they are and what is next for them. U.S. authorities in Uganda,**** fearing another similar incident in Africa, issued a warning late last week. **** ** ** Citing a recent call for al Qaeda "brothers to strike soft targets, to do it **** in small groups," Noble said law enforcement is now facing a daunting task.* *** ** ** "How do you protect soft targets? That's really the challenge. You can't**** have armed police forces everywhere," he told reporters. "It's Interpol's*** * view that one way you protect soft targets is you make it more difficult for **** terrorist to move internationally. So what we're trying to do is to**** establish a way for countries . to screen passports, which are a terrorist's **** best friend, try to limit terrorists moving from country to country. And**** also, that we're able to share more info about suspected terrorists."**** ** ** In the interview with ABC News, Noble was more blunt and directed his**** comments to his home country.**** ** ** "Ask yourself: If that was Denver, Col., if that was Texas, would those guys **** have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly?" Noble said,* *** referring to states with pro-gun traditions. "What I'm saying is it makes*** * police around the world question their views on gun control. It makes**** citizens question their views on gun control. You have to ask yourself, 'Is* *** an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an**** evolving threat of terrorism?' This is something that has to be discussed."* *** ** ** "For me it's a profound question," he continued. "People are quick to say*** * 'gun control, people shouldn't be armed,' etc., etc. I think they have to*** * ask themselves: 'Where would you have wanted to be? In a city where there*** * was gun control and no citizens armed if you're in a Westgate mall, or in a* *** place like Denver or Texas?'"**** ** ** Prior to the Westgate attack, the gun control debate has been ignited time** ** and time again in the U.S. in the aftermath of a series of mass shootings,** ** including one in a movie theater in Aurora, Col., a suburb of Denver.**** ** ** ==========================================**** (F)AIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this **** message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. 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