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Terrorism Definition
Origin: The French Revolution's Reign of Terror (1793-94)
A violent act aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal;
a) The violent act includes evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) other than the immediate victims; and
b) The violent act is outside the precepts of International Humanitarian Law insofar as it targeted non-combatants. -
New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, USA - 2,996 killed & over 6,000 injured
Nineteen terrorists from Saudi Arabia hijacked four U.S. planes on the morning of September 11, 2001. Two of those planes were flown into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. A third plane was flown into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania when the passengers tried to take back control of the plane. Responsible: Osama bin Laden & al-Qaeda Photo: http://www.businessinsider.com/haunting-photos-from-september-11th-attacks-2016-9 -
Madrid, Spain - 191 killed & 1800 injured
A total of ten bombs, placed in backpacks and small bags, were detonated on four commuter trains at three different stations. However, one bomb failed to detonate and three were later diffused. It is the deadliest terror attack in Spanish history. Responsible: Islamic militants possibly inspired by al-Qaeda Photo: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11729063/How-did-these-terror-attacks-during-the-last-20-years-change-the-world.html -
London, England - 52 killed & 700 injured
Four devices were detonated throughout London by four suicide bombers. Three were detonated on London's Underground and one was detonated on a ubiquitous red double-decker bus. Responsible: al-Qaeda Photo: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/07/07/420769480/the-painful-memories-of-those-who-survived-londons-2005-terror-attacks -
Mumbai, India - 166 killed & 700 injured
Ten gunmen armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades, attacked civilians at numerous sites in the southern part of Mumbai, including Chhatrapati Shivji railway station, Cafe Leopold, a hospital, Nariman House and 2 hotels . While most of the attacks ended within a few hours after they begun, three locations were held under seige for 3-4 days. Responsible: Lashkar-e-Tayyiba Photo: http://scarletpensieve.blogspot.com/2014/10/report-of-2008-mumbai-terror-attacks.html -
Peshawar, Pakistan - 148 killed & 121 injured
Seven gunmen opened fire at the Army Public School in Peshawar Pakistan. The terrorists went to the auditorium first where children were taking exams. The Pakistani Army arrived within fifteen minutes. The fighting was from room to room and by 4:00 pm the attackers were sectioned off to four buildings. A couple of hours later the militants were dead. Responsible: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Photo: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30491435 -
Paris, France (Charlie Hebdo) - 17 killed & 11 injured
Two brothers, who took issue with Charlie Hebdo's satirical portrayal of Muslims and Islam, entered the magazine office and started shooting. They moved upstairs where the staff was meeting and attacked. The terrorists fled the building and Paris was put on alert. A manhunt ensued for 3 days. Finally, the two were killed by the police as they left the building firing their weapons. Responsible: al-Qaeda Photo: https://universityschoolnews.com/2159/news/who-is-charlie-hebdo-part-1/ -
Garissa, Kenya - ~150 killed & 70 injured
Six men attacked the Garissa University College in the early morning hours. The police arrived and the gunfight pushed the terrorists into the dorm areas. A siege ensued with the attackers taking numerous hostages. The terrorists continued executing mostly Christians. The siege lasted just over 15 hours with the Al-Shabaab fighters being killed just after sundown. Responsible: al-Shabab Photo: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/garissa-university-terror-attack-traumatised-5458759 -
Beirut, Lebanon - 43 killed & 239 injured
Two suicide bombers detonated suicide vests. The first one was detonated outside a Shia Mosque. Then 5-8 minutes later, after people had arrived to help from the first detonation, a second bomber blew himself up in the crowd. A third bomber’s remains were found with an unexploded vest, it is suspected that he was killed by the second blast. Responsible: ISIS Photo: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/16/world/middleeast/beirut-lebanon-attacks-paris.html -
Paris, France (Bataclan Theatre) - 130 killed & 413 injured
The attack involved multiple suicide bombers and gunmen attacking multiple sites across Paris. The Bataclan Theatre was a massacre accomplished by three gunmen that attacked during a concert. When the Paris SWAT team attacked, the terrorists detonated their suicide vests. Responsible: ISIS Photo: http://www.ifrc.org/es/noticias/noticias/europe/france/in-pictures-paris-attacks/ -
Brussels, Belgium - 32 killed & 340 injured
There were three coordinated suicide bombings - two at the Brussels Airport and a third at the Maalbeek Metro Station. It is suspected the bombing was in retaliation for police raids against the group and for Belgium's attacks on ISIL in Iraq. The terrorists were believed to be from the group that attacked Paris 5 months before. Responsible: ISIS Photo: https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/03/breaking-two-explosions-heard-at-brussels-airport/ -
Berlin, Germany - 12 killed & 56 injured
A truck was driven into the Breitscheidplatz Christmas Market. The truck had been stolen from Poland and the driver was later found dead in the cab. The attacker fled the scene and was later gunned down by Italian police when he was stopped at a routine check point. Responsible: ISIS Photo: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/19/world/europe/berlin-truck-christmas-market.html -
St. Petersburg, Russia - 14 killed & 64 injured
A single device, loaded with shrapnel, was detonated by a suicide bomber between two metro train stations. A second device, planted earlier by the suicide bomber, was recovered and disarmed at another metro station. No group has claimed responsibility for this attack, but it is believed to have been planned and executed due to Russians involvement in Syria.
Responsible: ISIS? Photo: https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/04/europe/st-petersburg-russia-explosion/index.html -
Manchester, England - 22 killed & 512 injured
As people were leaving the Manchester Arena after an Arianna Grande concert a single suicide bomber attacked with a deadly homemade bomb loaded with shrapnel just outside the main entrance to the arena. ISIS would later claim responsibility. Responsible: ISIS Photo: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3633408/manchester-bomb-attack-victims-latest-remember/ -
Kabul, Afghanistan - 103 killed & 205 injured
The Taliban placed an IED inside an ambulance near Sidarat Square. Even thought the ambulance was able to clear the first checkpoint, the police became suspicious of the ambulance by the second checkpoint and the driver denotated the IED. The blast was so powerful that it was felt miles away. After 7 days of constant attacks across Kabul, this was the largest. Responsible: Taliban Photo: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/huge-blast-rocks-afghanistan-kabul-180127084053950.html
