European countries must give their people better information about what to do in case of terror attacks and pay more attention to the risk of strikes outside their capitals, security experts say.
"We've . . . seen that terrorist groups like al Qaeda and its followers have hit soft targets," said Mr Kevin O'Brien, senior policy analyst at the Rand Europe think-tank.
"While the capitals of most of . . . European countries are quite geared up, and as prepared as they probably can be, it's outside of the capitals that are the key concern," he said.
Experts pointed to the chaotic handling of recent emergencies, from Britain's fuel blockade crisis in 2000 to the European heatwave that killed thousands of old people this summer.
In the latest high-profile anti-terror drill, firefighters in green protective suits poured into the London Underground on Sunday to rescue "casualties" from a train trapped in a tunnel following a simulated chemical attack.
Experts say such exercises are useful, they tend to focus only on capitals.
Some believe Europe would be better served by a colour-coded warning system, as in the United States, to tell its citizens when the threat is greatest.
