-
-
Period: to
Terror Attacks in the US or Against Americans
Terror attacks in the United States or against Americans abroad from 1920 to 2011. Please note that this is not a comprehensive listing of events. -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Kuwait Flight Hijacked
Kuwaiti airlines flight 221 hijacked. 2 Americans killed. More!Kuwaiti airlines flight 221 hijacked. 2 Americans killed. -
Madrid Restaurant Bombing
More! Madrid, Spain: Bombing at restaurant frequented by U.S. soldiers, killed 18 Spaniards and injured 82. -
TWA Flight 847 Hijacked
More! Beirut, Lebanon: TWA Flight 847 en route from Athens to Rome hijacked to Beirut by Hezbollah terrorists and held for 17 days. A U.S. Navy diver executed. -
Achille Largo Attacked
More! <b>Mediterranean Sea:</b> gunmen attack Italian cruise ship, Achille Lauro. One U.S. tourist killed. Hijacking linked to Libya. -
Airport Attacks
More! Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria: airports in Rome and Vienna were bombed, killing 20 people, 5 of whom were Americans. Bombing linked to Libya. -
TWA Flight 840
More! Athens, Greece: A bomb exploded aboard TWA flight 840 en route from Rome to Athens, killing 4 Americans and injuring 9. -
W. Berlin Disco Bombing
More! West Berlin, Germany: Libyans bombed a disco frequented by U.S. servicemen, killing 2 and injuring hundreds. -
Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie, Scotland
More! NY bound Pan-Am Boeing 747 (Flight 103) exploded in flight from a terrorist bomb and crashed into Scottish village, killing all 259 aboard and 11 on the ground. Passengers included 35 Syracuse University students and many U.S. military personnel. Libya formally admitted responsibility 15 years later (Aug. 2003) and offered $2.7 billion compensation to victims' families. -
World Trade Center Bombing
More! Bomb exploded in basement garage of World Trade Center, killing 6 and injuring at least 1,040 others. In 1995, militant Islamist Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and 9 others were convicted of conspiracy charges, and in 1998, Ramzi Yousef, believed to have been the mastermind, was convicted of the bombing. Al-Qaeda involvement is suspected. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
More! Car bomb exploded outside federal office building, collapsing wall and floors. 168 people were killed, including 19 children and 1 person who died in rescue effort. Over 220 buildings sustained damage. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols later convicted in the antigovernment plot to avenge the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Tex., exactly 2 years earlier. -
US Military HQ Bombed
More!
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: car bomb exploded at U.S. military headquarters, killing 5 U.S. military servicemen. -
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia Bombing
More! Truck bomb exploded outside Khobar Towers military complex, killing 19 American servicemen and injuring hundreds of others. 13 Saudis and a Lebanese, all alleged members of Islamic militant group Hezbollah, were indicted on charges relating to the attack in June 2001. -
US Embassies Attacked
More! In Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: truck bombs exploded almost simultaneously near 2 U.S. embassies, killing 224 (213 in Kenya and 11 in Tanzania) and injuring about 4,500. Four men connected with al-Qaeda, 2 of whom had received training at al-Qaeda camps inside Afghanistan, were convicted of the killings in May 2001 and later sentenced to life in prison. -
USS Cole Attacked
More! <b>Aden, Yemen:</b> U.S. Navy destroyer USS Cole heavily damaged when a small boat loaded with explosives blew up alongside it. Seventeen sailors killed. Linked to Osama bin Laden, or members of al-Qaeda terrorist network. -
World Trade Center and Pentagon
More! <b>New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa.:</b> Hijackers crashed two commercial jets into twin towers of World Trade Center; two more hijacked jets were crashed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pa. Total dead and missing numbered 2,992: 2,749 in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon, 40 in Pa., and 19 hijackers. Islamic al-Qaeda terrorist group blamed. -
US Consulate Attacked
More! >b>Karachi, Pakistan:</b> Bomb explodes outside American consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, killing 12. Linked to al-Qaeda. -
Housing Compound Attacked
More! <b>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:</b> Suicide bombers kill 34, including 8 Americans, at housing compounds for Westerners. Al-Qaeda suspected. -
Oil Offices Attacked
<b>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:</> Terrorists attack the offices of a Saudi oil company in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, take foreign oil workers hostage in a nearby residential compound, leaving 22 people dead including one American. -
US Executive Kidnapped
<b>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:</b> Terrorists kidnap and execute Paul Johnson Jr., an American, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Two other Americans and BBC cameraman killed by gun attacks. -
US Consulate Attacked
<b>Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:</b> Terrorists storm the U.S. consulate, killing 5 consulate employees. 4 terrorists were killed by Saudi security. -
Hotels Attacked
<b>Amman, Jordan:</b> Suicide bombers hit 3 American hotels, Radisson, Grand Hyatt, and Days Inn, in Amman, Jordan, killing 57. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility. -
American Embassy Attack
<b>Damascus, Syria:</b> An attack by four gunman on the American embassy is foiled. -
US Embassy in Greece Attacked
<b>Athens, Greece:</b> U.S. embassy is fired on by an anti-tank missile causing damage but no injuries. -
United Nations Office Attacked
<b>Algeria:</b> More than 60 people are killed, including 11 United Nations staff members, when Al Qaeda terrorists detonate two car bombs near Algeria's Constitutional Council and the United Nations offices. -
Six US Soldiers Killed
<b>Tarmiya, Iraq:</b> A suicide bomber on a motorcycle kills six U.S. soldiers and wounds 18 others. -
Three US Marines Killed
<b>Iraq:</b> A suicide bomber kills at least 20 people, including three U.S. Marines, at a meeting between sheiks and Americans in Karmah, a town west of Baghdad. -
Four US Servicemen KIlled
<b>Afghanistan:</b> Four American servicemen are killed when a roadside bomb explodes near a U.S. military vehicle in Farah Province. -
Nine US Soldiers Kiiled
<b>Afghanistan:</b> Nine U.S.soldiers and at least 15 NATO troops die when Taliban militants boldly attack an American base in Kunar Province, which borders Pakistan. It's the most deadly against U.S. troops in three years. -
Camp Salerno Attacked
<b>Afghanistan:</b> As many as 15 suicide bombers backed by about 30 militants attack a U.S. military base, Camp Salerno, in Bamiyan. Fighting between U.S. troops and members of the Taliban rages overnight. No U.S. troops are killed. -
US Embassy Attacked
<b>Yemen:</b> A car bomb and a rocket strike the U.S. embassy in Yemen as staff arrived to work, killing 16 people, including 4 civilians. At least 25 suspected al-Qaeda militants are arrested for the attack. -
Hotels Attacked in Mumbai
<b>India:</b> A series of attacks are carried out on several of Mumbai's landmarks and commercial hubs that are popular with Americans and other foreign tourists, including at least two five-star hotels, a hospital, a train station, and a cinema. About 300 people are wounded and nearly 190 people die, including at least 5 Americans. -
Four US Soldiers Killed
<b>Iraq:</b> A suicide bomber kills four American soldiers and their Iraqi translator near a police checkpoint. -
Five US Soldiers Killed
<b>Iraq:</b> A suicide attack kills five American soldiers and two Iraqi policemen. -
Shooting Outside Recruiting Center
<b>Little Rock, Arkansas:</b> Abdulhakim Muhammed, a Muslim convert from Memphis, Tennessee, is charged with shooting two soldiers outside a military recruiting center. One is killed and the other is wounded. In a January 2010 letter to the judge hearing his case, Muhammed asked to change his plea from not guilty to guilty, claimed ties to al-Qaeda, and called the shooting a jihadi attack "to fight those who wage war on Islam and Muslims." -
Attempt to Blow Up Flight
A Nigerian man on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit attempted to ignite an explosive device hidden in his underwear. The explosive device that failed to detonate was a mixture of powder and liquid that did not alert security personnel in the airport. The alleged bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, told officials later that he was directed by the terrorist group Al Qaeda. The suspect was already on the government's watch list when he attempted the bombing. -
Eight US Civilians Killed
<b>Iraq:</b> A suicide bomber kills eight Americans civilians, seven of them CIA agents, at a base in Afghanistan. It's the deadliest attack on the agency since 9/11. The attacker is reportedly a double agent from Jordan who was acting on behalf of al-Qaeda. -
Times Square Car Bomb
<b>New York City:</b> A car bomb is discovered in Times Square, New York City after smoke is seen coming from a vehicle. The bomb was ignited, but failed to detonate and was disarmed before it could cause any harm. Times Square was evacuated as a safety precaution. Faisal Shahzad pleads guilty to placing the bomb as well as 10 terrorism and weapons charges. -
Pipe Bomb Explodes at Mosque
<b>Jacksonville, Florida:</b> a pipe bomb explodes while approximately 60 Muslims are praying in the mosque. The attack causes no injuries. -
Bombs Discovered in Cargo Planes
Two packages are found on separate cargo planes. Each package contains a bomb consisting of 300 to 400 grams (11-14 oz) of plastic explosives and a detonating mechanism. The bombs are discovered as a result of intelligence received from Saudi Arabia's security chief. The packages, bound from Yemen to the United States, are discovered at en route stop-overs, one in England and one in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. -
Bomb Discovered Along Memorial March
<b>Spokane, Washington:</b> a pipe bomb is discovered along the route of the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial march. The bomb, a "viable device" set up to spray marchers with shrapnel and to cause multiple casualties, is defused without any injuries. -
Osama bin Laden Killed
<b>Pakistan:</b> Osama bin Laden was killed in Waziristan Haveli on May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. local time by a United States special forces military unit. The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was ordered by United States President Barack Obama and carried out in a CIA operation by a team of United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team Six.
