Bay Area travelers at SFO express concern over London terror attack

Wednesday, March 22, 2017
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Bay Area passengers at San Francisco International Airport are heading to and from London Wednesday after the terror attack at Westminster.

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Many didn't know about the attack until they landed, which made for some heartfelt greetings.

There was a sense of relief as flights from London arrived at SFO. Passengers ABC7 News talked with were already on their way to Heathrow when the attack happened, but they couldn't help but wonder, "what if."

"It could have happened to anybody. If it happened two days earlier, I was at Westminster Abbey two days before that," said Oakland resident Stefani Pelletier. "So, obviously it could have happened to anybody at that point."

Jack Norrie is from London and is visiting the Bay Area. He learned about the attack from text messages when he landed. "It's kind of the state of Europe at the moment that these things happen and build our barriers," he said. "There's no real solution to it."

The FBI's head of Counter Terrorism Operations for the Bay Area, Craig Fair, told the I-Team's Dan Noyes that Wednesday's incident in London has not increased the alert level here.

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Fair says they are always vigilant for low-tech attacks.

Noyes: It doesn't have to be some elaborate plot.

Fair: Absolutely, by any means necessary is what we're seeing these days that continues to be the trend.

It's a disturbing trend, but one that doesn't appear to be affecting people's travel plans. One couple was on their way to London Wednesday night.

"It worries me," said traveler Nicholas Gigi. "It's always in the back of my mind because, you know, nowadays people are just out there like that. But you know, you just have to have trust and rely on having a good time."

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