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Attack on the USS Cole in Yemen
Al-Qaeda is blamed, but not definately linked, to the Cole bombing that kills 17 sailors. The attack is carried out by two suicide bombers with explosives in the harbor of Aden. Among those connected to planning the plot are a Yemeni official; eight who are arrested escape from a Yemeni jail and are recaptured. -
9/11 Attacks
The devastating suicide plane attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash landing in Pennsylvania leave nearly 3,000 dead and Americans in a state of shock and fear. On Sept. 12, the U.S. begins building a "coalition of the willing" against terrorism. -
Shoe Bomber Richard Reid Arrested
British convert to Islam Richard Reid tries to ignite a bomb in his shoe aboard a plane from Paris to Miami. He is subdued by flight attendants and passengers and the plan is rerouted to Boston, where he is arrested. In his indictment, Reid is described as an Al-Qaeda operative and is linked by European investigators to known terrorist cells. -
Bush Identifies "Axis of Evil"
In his first State of the Union address after the Sept. 11th attacks, President George W. Bush describes Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an "axis of evil" within the war on terrorism. -
President Signs Law Creating Department of Homeland Security
In the largest government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947, the Homeland Security Bill of 2002 creates a cabinet-level office with the primary mission of protecting Americans. It merges 22 agencies into one department and employs more than 170,000 people. -
Suicide Bombings in Casablanca
A dozen bombers are believed to be among the 45 dead in near simultaneous attacks at a Spanish restaurant, the Belgian consulate, a Jewish community center and cemetary and a hotel in Casablanca, Morocco. -
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Launches First Attacks in Iraq
The first major attack linked to Zarqawi and the militant he heads, Al Qaeda in Iraq, is the bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, which kills the U.N.'s top official there and 21 others. A year earlier, the group succeeds in setting off a bomb in Iraq's fortified grren zone. -
Jordan Arrests Suspects in Al-Qaeda Plot
Jordanian authorities break up plot they say would have been deadlier that 9/11. The plot involves releasing chemical weapons at the U.S. embassy, the Jordanian prime minister's office and the headquarters for Jordanian intelligence as retaliation for Jordan's support of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. -
Attack in Jeddah
A Saudi group linked to Al Qaeda opens fire on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, killing five employees, none of them American, according the U.S. State Department. Saudi police kill four of the gunman and capture another. The Al Qaeda-affiliated group claims responsibility on a Web site. -
7/7 Bombings in London
Four suicide bombers coordinate attacks on London's transportation network on July 7, killing 52. Sn intense hunt for their accomplices leads police to the presumed ringleader, Mohammad Siddique Khan, who says in a found video message he was motivated to act on behalf of Muslims oppressed by British foreign policy.
