Paris attacks lead Americans to wonder about US safety

NEW YORK (AP) — From cafes in New York to tailgate parties in the heartland, the bloodbath in Paris is forcing Americans to ponder the awful possibility of terrorist attacks on "soft targets" in the U.S. such as restaurants, bars and other ordinary gathering spots.

"Maybe I'm more jittery," said Jordan Veneman, sitting at La Colombe cafe in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood. He said that when a car backfired shortly after the attacks in France, he immediately thought of a bomb.

Counterterrorism experts say well-coordinated assaults carried out by foreigners are less likely in the U.S., in part because of tougher accessibility to the mainland and better intelligence-gathering since 9/11. But they acknowledge such attacks cannot be ruled out.

They worry even more about the possibility of "lone wolf" attackers who may have no direct connection to extremist groups such as Islamic State but embrace their ideology.

"It's impossible to protect everything and everyone all the time," said Lauren C. Anderson, a retired FBI official who served in Paris and headed the international terrorism program for a New York task force.