Major Terrorist Attacks Since 2000 (Chronological Table)
| Year | Date | Country | Location / Target | Description | Deaths | Perpetrator / Ideology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Oct 12 | Yemen | USS Cole | Suicide boat bombing of US warship | 17 | Al-Qaeda |
| 2001 | Sept 11 | USA | NYC, DC, PA | Coordinated hijackings (9/11) | ~3,000 | Al-Qaeda |
| 2001 | Dec 13 | India | Parliament, Delhi | Armed assault on parliament | 9 | Islamist militants |
| 2002 | Oct 12 | Indonesia | Bali nightclubs | Coordinated bombings | 204 | Jemaah Islamiyah |
| 2004 | Mar 11 | Spain | Madrid trains | Commuter train bombings | 193 | Islamist extremists |
| 2004 | Sept 1–3 | Russia | Beslan school | School siege | 334 | Chechen Islamists |
| 2005 | July 7 | UK | London transport | Tube & bus bombings | 52 | Islamist extremists |
| 2008 | Nov 26–29 | India | Mumbai | Multi-site attacks | ~175 | Lashkar-e-Taiba |
| 2012 | Mar 11–22 | France | Toulouse & Montauban | Shootings incl. Jewish school | 7 | Islamist lone actor |
| 2013 | Sept 21 | Kenya | Westgate Mall | Mall siege | 67+ | Al-Shabaab |
| 2014 | Dec 16 | Pakistan | Peshawar school | Massacre of students | ~150 | Pakistani Taliban |
| 2015 | Jan 7 | France | Charlie Hebdo | Attack on satirical magazine | 12 | AQ-linked extremists |
| 2015 | Nov 13 | France | Paris | Bataclan & cafés | 130 | ISIS-linked cells |
| 2015 | June 26 | Tunisia | Sousse beach | Tourist resort shooting | 38 | ISIS-inspired |
| 2015 | Apr 2 | Kenya | Garissa University | Campus massacre | 147 | Al-Shabaab |
| 2016 | Mar 22 | Belgium | Brussels | Airport & metro bombings | 32 | ISIS |
| 2016 | July 14 | France | Nice promenade | Truck-ramming attack | 86 | Islamist lone actor |
| 2017 | May 22 | UK | Manchester Arena | Suicide bombing | 22 | Islamist extremist |
| 2020 | Oct 16 | France | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (School) | Beheading of teacher Samuel Paty | 1 | Islamist extremist |
| 2020 | Oct 29 | France | Nice church | Knife attack during prayer | 3 | Islamist extremist |
| 2023 | Oct 13 | France | Arras school | Stabbing of literature teacher Dominique Bernard | 1 | Islamist extremist |
| 2023 | Jan 30 | Pakistan | Peshawar mosque | Suicide bombing | 84 | Islamist militant |
| 2024 | Jan 3 | Iran | Kerman memorial | Twin suicide bombings | ~103 | ISIS-K |
| 2024 | Mar 22 | Russia | Crocus City Hall | Mass shooting & arson | ~149 | ISIS-K |
| 2025 | Apr 22 | India | Pahalgam (Kashmir) | Tourist shooting | 26 | Islamist militants |
| 2025 | Dec 14 | Aus Bondi Beach | Hannukah shooting 16 | Pakistanis |
Focus: French Teachers Targeted by Islamist Terrorism
| Year | Victim | Role | Location | Nature of Attack | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Samuel Paty | History-Geography teacher | Conflans-Sainte-Honorine | Beheading outside school | Targeted for teaching freedom of expression |
| 2023 | Dominique Bernard | Literature teacher | Arras | Fatal stabbing at school | Attack on secular education |
| 2012 | Teachers & children indirectly targeted | School community | Toulouse | Shooting at Jewish school | Early sign of school-based terror |
These attacks are officially recognised by French courts and government as acts of terrorism, motivated by Islamist extremism opposing secular education, free speech, and laïcité.
Major Terrorist Attacks Worldwide Since 2000
2001
September 11 Attacks – United States
• Date: 11 Sep 2001
• Location: New York, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, USA
• Perpetrators: Al-Qaeda
• Deaths: ~3,000 civilians & responders
• Description: Four hijacked airliners used in coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon; one crashed in Pennsylvania. This event reshaped global counterterrorism policy. (Director of National Intelligence)
2002–2009 — Major Global Jihadist Incidents
Bali Bombings – Indonesia (2002)
• Suicide bombings at tourist sites; ~204 killed.
Madrid Train Bombings – Spain (2004)
• Nearly 200 killed, ~2,000 injured.
London Bombings (7/7) – UK (2005)
• ~52 killed in coordinated transport attacks.
Mumbai Attacks – India (2008)
• ~175 killed in multi-location assault.
(These events collectively marked the spread of coordinated jihadist terror across continents.)
2012
Toulouse & Montauban Shootings – France
• Dates: 11–22 Mar 2012
• Perpetrator: Mohammed Merah (Algerian descent)
• Deaths: 7 (soldiers, children, a rabbi)
• Description: A shooting spree targeting French Army personnel and a Jewish school. (Wikipedia)
2013
Westgate Mall Attack – Kenya
• Siege by Al-Shabaab; dozens killed.
2014
Peshawar School Massacre – Pakistan
• Attack on Army Public School; ~150 killed (majority children).
2015
Charlie Hebdo Shooting – France (7 Jan)
• Perpetrators: French-born brothers linked to al-Qaeda
• Deaths: 12
• Target: Satirical magazine staff. (Wikipedia)
Paris Attacks – France (13 Nov)
• Deaths: ~130
• Perpetrators: ISIS-linked cells across cafés and Bataclan theatre.
Sousse Beach Resort – Tunisia
• Gun attack on tourists; ~38 killed.
Garissa University – Kenya
• Al-Shabaab attack; ~147 killed.
2016
Brussels Bombings – Belgium
• Suicide attacks at airport & metro; ~32 killed.
Nice Truck Attack – France (14 Jul)
• Perpetrator: Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel
• Deaths: 86
• Description: Truck ploughed into Bastille Day crowd. (Wikipedia)
2017
Manchester Arena Bombing – UK
• Suicide bomber at concert; ~22 killed.
2018–2019
• Multiple smaller Islamist and extremist attacks across Europe, Africa, and Asia.
2020 — Key European Incidents
Beheading of Teacher Samuel Paty – France (16 Oct)
• Victim: Samuel Paty (47-year-old French teacher)
• Perpetrator: 18-year-old extremist (Chechen origin)
• Description: Paty was murdered near his school after teaching freedom of expression and showing controversial cartoons. The killing was widely labeled an Islamist terrorist act and led to convictions in France for those who aided the killer or fueled the hate campaign. (Wikipedia)
Nice Church Knife Attack – France (29 Oct)
• Three worshippers killed by a Tunisian attacker in the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption basilica; prosecuted as terrorism. (Le Monde.fr)
2022–2023
Arras School Stabbing – France (13 Oct 2023)
• A French literature teacher, Dominique Bernard, was stabbed and killed by an Islamist radical at a school in northern France; three others injured. (Wikipedia)
Peshawar Mosque Bombing – Pakistan (2023)
• Suicide bomber at mosque; ~84 killed.
Khar Bombing – Pakistan (2023)
• IS-linked attack killed 60+.
2024
Crocus City Hall Attack – Russia (22 Mar)
• Deaths: ~149
• Perpetrators: Islamic State-Khorasan Province
• Description: Mass shooting and arson at a concert in Moscow Oblast. (Wikipedia)
Kerman Bombings – Iran (3 Jan)
• Suicide bombings killed ~103 and injured ~284; claimed by ISIS-K. (Wikipedia)
2025
Islamabad Suicide Bombing – Pakistan (11 Nov)
• Suicide blast near judicial complex kills 12; claimed by Pakistani Taliban affiliate. (Wikipedia)
Pahalgam Attack – India (22 Apr)
• Militant shooting of tourists in Jammu & Kashmir; 26 killed. (Wikipedia)
Mulhouse Knife Attack – France (22 Feb)
• Algerian man on terror watchlist stabbed civilians and police, killing one bystander and injuring others in a market square; French authorities treated it as Islamist terrorism. (The Guardian)
Bondi Beach Hanukkah Shooting – Australia (14 Dec)
• Two gunmen attacked a Jewish festival in Sydney, killing 11 and injuring nearly 30; described as a terrorist act with antisemitic motivation. (AP News)
