Social media platforms enabling radicalisation: US envoy Richard Verma

Mumbai: Noting that social media platforms are enabling radicalisation, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Monday said the return of foreign fighters from places like Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria also casts ominous shadows on security of big cities.

"Social media platforms are enabling radicalisation, recruitment, and networking among like-minded individuals from afar," Verma said in his address at a two-day conference on "Megacity Security", organised by US Consulate General on Monday.

"The return of foreign fighters from places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria also casts ominous shadows. More so than ever before, small groups and individuals have access to lethal and even military-grade technologies that give them the ability to attack a city's functioning.

Communications and transportation networks essential to the daily livelihood in cities also can serve as enablers that allow groups to recruit and maintain networks with relative anonymity. Even smart cities, which offer the promise of a greener and more sustainable future, can be vulnerable to cyber attacks", he said.

The second potential security challenge comes from the inability of mega-cities to uphold their end of the social contract through effective governance and service provision, the US Ambassador said.

On security threats mega-cities like Mumbai face, Verma said "One threat is from terrorism, as this city knows all too well."

"While the confluence of government, industry, and finance creates a unique dynamism in cities, the concentration of critical infrastructure and mass transit systems also creates vulnerabilities."

"If you look at the world's top 30 mega-cities a common characteristic among them, regardless of geography or level of economic development, is that they have suffered terrorist attacks. The people of Tokyo, Jakarta, Manila, Karachi, New York, Mumbai, Bangkok, Dhaka, Istanbul, Lagos, Paris, and London have all seen first-hand the horrors terrorists can inflict," he said.

Recent events in Paris, Bamako, and Beirut have sadly focused the world's attention again on the scourge of terrorism, a tragedy experienced acutely in this city, Verma said.