Norway was one of those places in the world, where “things like that just don’t happen”; or didn’t rather.

Anders Behring Breivik changed all that when he planted a bomb in front of the government headquarters and then went on a rampage at a future political leaders’ camp. Norway has changed forever. But it is not only Norway that has struggled with home-grown terror.

Breivik has been likened by the Norwegian press to the United States’ home-grown terrorist Timothy McVeigh, who blew up a truck outside a building in Oklahoma, leaving 168 dead and over 650 injured in 1995. He too had far right links and a deep hatred of the Federal Government. He too, had a message to pass on. It seems that while the West is working hard to combat extremist terrorism, it is failing to spot the warning signs within its own ranks. But there is also the danger of fusion – Islamist home-grown terror is home-grown nonetheless.

Spain and the UK have also experienced home-grown terror, as British and Spanish Muslims blew up trains and buses in the underground system. The UK has also foiled other home-grown plots.

Without wanting to raise alarm, or insinuate that there is some plot growing in Malta, this newspaper feels that it is time to dispel the notion that we are immune from such things.

We are not immune to foreign terror, and we are certainly not immune to local terror. The reasons for organising a terror attack or a bomb plot are diverse and they could range from far right extremism, to Islamist terrorism, or even personal gripes.

There was a time when bombs were the order of the day in Malta, and they were used during times of political upheaval. Indeed, in hindsight, it may even be called political terrorism.

Thankfully, the bombs stopped, but we got a horrible reminder of what they can do only last year, when a bomb was planted within the offices of Transport Malta. What we are saying is that Malta, like any other Western society, must take note of what happened in Norway and learn from it. We are not immune to far right extremism. We are not immune to someone, even one of our own, attacking us, and causing mayhem.

We are just like anyone else in the world, and no amount of hiding behind our special circumstances, our family values or our geographic position can ever change that.

The world is a changing place, it has become the home of the frustrated and the disillusioned. And sadly, there are many who let their frustration and, in the end, delusion, get the better of their humanity.

One can never plan for terror attacks on home soil, by a citizen. But what we can do is continue to educate the younger people and involve them in our ever-changing society.

The mind is a very complex thing and once an idea germinates, and a person allows that idea to twist their very soul, then there is nothing much that can be done, save for a swift response. Malta is fast becoming a fully-fledged European nation. We have struggled with moving towards a more liberal society, but we have managed. The next struggle will be to allow liberalism to flourish in a new world reality of the threat of home-grown terror.

For all our faults and our fiery tempers, Malta has managed to remain on an even keel, even as others descended into civil war. Let us hope that this measure of temperance will remain with us always.