Dubai: Emiratis say they do not see London any different than they did before last week’s incident, when three Emirati sisters were attacked at the Cumberland Hotel on Oxford Street after shopping.

“London is like any other big city in Europe and we always have to be careful of our surroundings. Coming from such a safe country, we tend to ignore the safety rules. I’ve travelled to London on a regular basis for about two weeks, three times a year, and I always remind my sisters not to leave their handbags lying around and not to talk to strangers,” said Mohammad Ali, who’s in his late 30s.

“I was surprised that the UK government has acted so swiftly because, as London is such a large city, I thought it would be easy for the suspects to disappear. But, of course, their reaction has definitely been an efficient one,” he said.

Others agreed with Ali’s opinion, and voiced their concerns that there needs to be more awareness from UAE and Gulf visitors who travel to countries in Europe.

“The attack could have happened in any hotel, not just this one. As it’s a four-star hotel, I would have expected the security to be higher than anywhere else, but you also have to take into consideration the location of the hotel. It’s a very busy area, so this should be an eye-opener for people to be more aware. But I feel that the hotel should have had more security available to see who comes in and out,” said Nahla Fadhlani.

“London has always been a safe place for my family and I to visit, and I never thought that an attack of this nature could have ever happened. I’ve noticed that the people there tend to assume that Gulf nationals are wealthy because of the designer clothes that we wear and the jewellery that some absent-mindedly show off. But I think that the responsibility also lies with us, we forget that we should not stand out because that makes us an easy target for such attacks,” said Hessa Khalid.

Others have also expressed their opinion of the incident, saying it is a one-off, but nevertheless, it should serve as a reminder that tourists should never let their guard down in large European cities.

“I’ll be going to London this week for a conference and I intend to visit it again in the summer. Even though this unfortunate attack happened, I do not think that the city is any less safe. The suspects were caught within one week and have already been brought to London, and the city is known to have one of the highest percentage of CCTV cameras as compared with other capitals,” said Jasem Mohammad.