Whats so difficult about coordinating something like this?
1. Mohammed go to this address and start shooting at 9pm.
2. Mohammed go to the other address and start shooting at 9.02pm.
Maybe they got their Mohammeds mixed up?
Getting all of your Mohammed’s equipped and onsite at the appointed time gets pretty complicated. Lots of security, transportation, communication and sourcing details to be worked out.
Coordination difficulties?
First problem is finding people willing to suffer and die in the process. I don’t know anyone willing to, and asking around would set off a lot of red flags that would be investigated.
Once you find a dozen or so as needed for the Paris scenario, you have to get them to the site without arousing suspicion. Remember, you’re talking a dozen people who aren’t good combination of bright & stable, and moving that many together may, um, arouse suspicion.
Next you have to assure they’re capable of doing the task as planned with the equipment given. This isn’t _hard_, but given the “bright & stable” issue it will take considerable training (heck, those of us who _are_ bright & stable would practice comparable tactics for weeks).
Then there’s getting the equipment. Whatever you think of gun laws, machineguns & grenades are in fact hard to come by in most Western countries.
After getting it, then there’s transporting it. Not particularly hard, but still cases of heavy stuff in high-density urban areas.
Finally, there’s infiltrating without gathering undue attention. Most people would be visibly nervous or otherwise expressive of anxiety & ill-intent.
Well, really finally is actually doing it. Most people wouldn’t, especially people who are bright & stable enough to actually do it if not for the natural psychological brick wall preventing most bright & stable people from doing such things to others.
What happened in Paris wasn’t just “you go here and start shooting at X:0Ypm”. They had hard-to-get weapons, and apparently used well-practiced non-trivial non-obvious tactics. Considering the various possible aborted attempts we occasionally hear about (like today’s canceled soccer game in Germany), seems it ain’t easy.