The killers' psyche
The autopsies of the victims of the Gulshan café attack reveal the ineffable cruelty with which the assailants killed the unfortunate people. It reiterates the fact, if it needs to be restated at all, that they were not upholding the values of the religion they claim to be fighting for. They were trained murderers on an unholy mission to kill, acting on no principles -- religious or moral, and the marks of torture show the bestiality of the perpetrators.
The shock is inconceivable. While theories abound on what caused the attackers to kill with such a numb, reckless abandon, a good place to start would be to examine if they were on drugs, as suggested by experts from home and abroad. The FBI wants to conduct a viscera exam of five of the dead killers to see if they were on Captagon, a highly addictive, synthetic drug that produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing them to stay up for days and slaughter people without fear or conscience. The authorities should extend full cooperation in this regard. There is a need to analyse the chemistry that impelled the killers to act the way they did and help us understand the psyche of the people we are up against.
We are all numbed and shocked by what has happened. And one can imagine the state of mind the families of the victims who suddenly find it hard to breathe. The carnage at the Holey Artisan Bakery should force a rethink of strategy. The indisposition to address the phenomenon in its correct perspective had caused the matter to escalate; acknowledging that there is a serious problem that has been metastasizing is the first step towards solving it.
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