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Hipercor Bombing, Barcelona, Spain
Basque separatists from the group ETA detonated a car bomb in a shopping center killing 21 and injuring 45. The ETA separatists were fighting kale borroka or urban guerilla war attempting to gain the independence of the culturally distinctive Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. (photo credit Marisa LR) -
Formation of the Terrorist Organization Hamas
Creation of a terrorist organization as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Palestine territories within Israel. The creation of the organization coincided with the First Intifada, and it stressed the importance of jihad or holy war against the Jews in Israel. Hamas calls for the eventual creation of an Islamic state in Palestine and the obliteration and dissolution of Israel. (photo credit www.freerepublic.com) -
Establishment of Al Qaeda
Terrorist organization known as The Base or The Foundation established as a global militant Islamist organization by Osama Bin Laden. The origins of the organization were a response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but expanded to a multinational stateless militant organization with affiliated branches throughout the world. (photo credit Wikimedia) -
Terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
The transatlantic airliner, Pan Am flight 103, was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew on board, as well as 11 people on the ground. Libyan nationals were arrested after a three year investigation. 15 years after the bombing Muammar Gaddafi, President of Libya, took responsibility and paid compensation to the victims’ families. (photo credit AAIB Report 2/1990 Boeing 747-121, N739PA) -
World Trade Center Underground Bombing
A truck bomb weighing more than 1,300 exploded in a parking garage under the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The perpetrators had been trained in Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, but were not directly linked to the organization. The attack overall was unsuccessful in causing the collapse of the two towers, but did kill six people and injured more than a thousand. (photo credit Reuters) -
IRA Manchester Bombing
In the ongoing violent movement called The Troubles, the Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a 3,300 pound car bomb in Manchester, England city centre. Due to warning given 90-minutes in advance there were no fatalities, but 212 people were injured. (photo credit Wikimedia) -
Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement
Agreement that all Irish separatist paramilitary groups including the Irish Republican Army would cease activities and disarm by May 2000. The agreement proved difficult to enforce and implement. The IRA withdrew from the agreement in 2004, but ended armed resistance in 2005. (photo credit BBC UK) -
Al Qaeda World Trade Center/Pentagon Attack
Al Qaeda jihadists hijacked four commercial airliners crashing two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and another crashed in a Pennsylvania field before reaching its target. In all, 2,996 people died as a result of the attacks, the largest ever on American soil. (photo credit www.rsvlts.com) -
Colombian FARC Rebels Hijack Airliner
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC) separatist rebels hijack a commercial airliner in an attempt to kidnap a Liberal Party Senator. The rebels forced the pilot to land on a highway, and absconded into a demilitarized zone with multiple hostages. (photo credit Fahrenheit Magazine) -
Hamas Passover Massacre
Suicide bombing carried out by Hamas at the Park Hotel in Netanya, Israel during Passover seder. Thirty civilians were killed and 140 injured in the attack during the Second Intifada. This attack was the highpoint of a bloody month in which 135 Israeli citizens were killed in terrorist attacks. (photo credit Avishai Teicher) -
Bali Bombings
Three bombs were detonated throughout the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali by members of the Jemaah Islamiyah jihadist group. In total 202 people were killed of various nationalities, and 209 were injured. The coordination of the multiple bombs increased the total number of deaths and casualties and showed increased planning sophistication by militant groups. (photo credit Jonathan Liem) -
Chechen Nord-Ost Siege
Chechen rebels, associated with the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya and led by Movsar Barayev, seized a crowded movie theater in Moscow taking 850 hostages and demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya and the end of the Second Chechen War. The siege was ended by Russian special forces, but not before the deaths of all Chechen separatists and 130 hostages. (photo credit www.snipview.com) -
Madrid Train Bombings
Two days before Spanish general elections near simultaneous bombings in the Cercanias commuter train station of Madrid killed 191 and injured 1,800. Spanish government officials initially accused ETA Basque separatists of conducting the attack, but later evidence and statements showed Al Qaeda in Europe as the true culprits. (photo credit BBC UK) -
Death of Yasser Arafat
Chairman of the Palestinian Organization (PLO) and President of the Palestinian National Authority, Yasser Arafat lead and oversaw the transition of the PLO and Palestinian resistance from armed struggle against Israel’s existence to attempts at political resolution of conflict with Israel. Arafat’s death was shrouded in disagreement with many believing he was poisoned. (photo credit Tristam Sparks, restlesseye.com) -
Mumbai Terrorist Attack
Ten members of the Islamic militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out a series of twelve shooting and bombing attacks during 4 days across the Indian city of Mumbai. During the attacks 164 people were killed and 308 injured. Indian government officials that the attackers were Pakistani and were being instructed by supporters in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan originally denied the accusations, but eventually with overwhelming evidence reluctantly made arrests (photo cred Govt of India) -
Hotel Shamo Bombing, Mogadishu, Somalia
Suicide bombing attack by members of the Islamic jihadist group Al Shabbab who was based in Somalia. The bombing at a medical student commencement ceremony killed 25 people, including three ministers from the Somali Transitional Federal Government. (photo credit www.wardheernews.com) -
Death of Osama bin Laden
U.S. special forces killed the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, during a nighttime raid in Abbotabad, Pakistan. The leader had been living as a recluse under the suspected supervision of the Pakistani intelligence services. His roll in the Al Qaeda organization was also questioned but his death acted as a salve to the American public for his masterminding of the 9/11 airplane attacks on the World Trade Center. -
Kabul Green Zone Incursion
Eight Taliban fighters enter the highly secure Green Zone in downtown Kabul and detonated a series of suicide bombs near the Afghan Presidential Palace. They also fired rocket-propelled grenades into US CIA headquarters. All eight Taliban were killed as well as 3 security personnel. While the damage of the attack was relatively minor, the psychological impact was significant showing that no area of Kabul was truly secure. (photo credit Fox 5 San Diego) -
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) Proclaims itself a Worldwide Caliphate
A splinter group of Al Qaeda and originally a member of the Iraqi insurgency, ISIS declared itself a worldwide caliphate after making significant military gains in Syria and Iraq. ISIS continued to make military gains and recruit new members to its cause through innovative uses of social media. (photo credit Menendj via Wikimedia) -
Tunisian Beach Attack
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) claimed credit for an attack that began on a beach in outside the Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba in the Tunisian coastal city of Sousse. The attack killed 38 people and wounded 39 others. The attack was yet another example of how ISIS can influence potential terrorists to commit attacks on their behalf without actually carrying out the operations themselves. (photo credit CNN)
