Among other things you might be missing are the reports that Iraqi intelligence had warned Western governments shortly before the attacks that they had information, non-specific as to the target, of attacks ordered in one or more Western nations involved in anti-IS operations by the IS to be carried out imminently. [0] Its not that attacks like this could not be carried out locally without a remote command, its that there are reports of specific information indicating that this was not carried out locally without a remote command.