Deadly attacks in Europe linked to militants since 2015

Man already convicted of a terrorist offence stabbed two people to death and wounded three others on London Bridge


Afp December 01, 2019
Representational Image. PHOTO: FILE

PARIS: The militant Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack in central London the previous day that killed two people.

Here is a recap of the deadliest attacks since 2015.

On Friday, a man already convicted of a terrorist offence stabbed two people to death and wounded three others on London Bridge in the heart of the capital.

He was tackled by members of the public before being shot dead by armed police.

Two killed by knifeman as terror returns to London Bridge

In March 2017 five people died when a man rammed a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge and then fatally stabbed a police officer outside parliament.

The attacker was shot dead by police.

In May 2017 a bombing at a pop concert by US star Ariana Grande in Manchester killed 22 people, including children.

In June 2017 a van rammed into a crowd on London Bridge and three assailants armed with knives left the vehicle and randomly attacked passers-by. Eight people were killed. Police shot dead the attackers.

The IS group claimed responsibility for all four attacks.

France has been particularly hard hit by militant attacks.

In January 2015 two brothers vowing allegiance to al Qaeda shot dead 12 people at the satirical weekly magazine, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris.

The next day a man linked to the militant Islamic State (IS) group shot and killed a policewoman in a Paris suburb. He took hostages at a Jewish supermarket the following day, killing four more people.

Police eventually killed all three attackers.

Since then, more than 250 people have been killed in a series of militant-linked attacks in France.

The group either claimed responsibility for or was linked to all of the following attacks in France.

The deadliest were in November 2015 when 130 people died in bombings and shootings at Paris's Bataclan concert hall, several bars and restaurants, and at the Stade de France sports stadium.

In 2016 a man rammed a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice on the July 14 national holiday, killing 86 people. He was shot dead by police.

The same month, two teenagers slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest in front of worshippers in the western town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray.

In March 2018, a Franco-Moroccan attacker shot dead three people, including a policeman, at a supermarket in the southern town of Trebes. He also killed the passenger of a car he hijacked. He was killed by police.

In December 2018 a man who swore allegiance to the IS shot dead five people at a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg. Police shot and killed him after a two-day manhunt.

In August 2017 a 22-year-old Moroccan mowed down pedestrians with a van on Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas street, killing 14 people. He then killed a man from whom he stole a car.

Hours later five accomplices rammed a car into pedestrians in the seaside town of Cambrils, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Barcelona.

Police killed all six attackers. The IS group said its "soldiers" had carried out the attack.

In March 2016 suicide bombings killed 32 people at Brussels airport and the Maelbeek metro station, near the European Union headquarters.

In May 2018 a gunman killed two female police officers and a man in a parked car in the eastern city of Liege, before being shot dead by police. The IS group claimed both attacks.

In December 2016 a Tunisian man hijacked a truck and ploughed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

He was shot dead by police in Milan four days later, his rampage claimed by the IS group.

In February 2015 a gunman opened fire at a cultural centre in Copenhagen as it hosted a forum on Islam and free speech. A filmmaker was killed. Hours later another man was shot dead at the city's main synagogue.

Police killed the gunman, who had vowed allegiance to IS.

In March 2019, a man of Turkish origin killed four people on an Utrecht tram. He has been charged with terror-related killings.

UK more regionally imbalanced than comparable nations: report

In August 2017, a 22-year-old Moroccan man identified as radicalised killed two Finnish women and wounded another eight people in the southwest city of Turku.

In April 2017 a radicalised Uzbek asylum- seeker mowed down pedestrians in Stockholm with a stolen truck, killing five.

The attacker had sworn allegiance to the IS on the eve of the assault; he was in June 2018 sentenced to life in prison for terrorism.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ