2016 Brussels bombings

Islamic State suicide bombings in Belgium

This article is about the 2016 terrorist attack. For the 1979 terrorist attack, see 1979 Brussels bombing. For the event in the Nine Years' War, see Bombardment of Brussels.

2016 Brussels bombings

Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe, spillover of the Syrian Civil War

* Map of the bombings in relation to each other
* (1) 07:58: Departure hall of Brussels Airport
* (2) 09:11: Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station

Location| Brussels Airport in Zaventem and Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station in Brussels, Belgium
Coordinates|

* Airport:
* 50°54′05″N 4°29′04″E﻿ / ﻿50.90139°N 4.48444°E﻿ / 50.90139; 4.48444﻿ (Brussels Airport)
* Metro station:
* 50°50′38″N 4°22′36″E﻿ / ﻿50.84389°N 4.37667°E﻿ / 50.84389; 4.37667﻿ (Maalbeek metro station)

Date| 22 March 2016; 9 years ago (2016-03-22)
07:58 am – 09:11 am (UTC+1)
Target| Civilians and transport hubs

Attack type

| Suicide bombings, nail bombing, mass murder, Islamic terrorism
Weapons| TATP explosives
Deaths| 35 (32 victims,[a] 3 perpetrators)[1]
Injured| 340[1]
Perpetrators|  Islamic State (Brussels cell)
Assailants|

* Airport:
* • Ibrahim El Bakraoui (deceased)[1]
* • Najim Laachraoui (deceased)[1]
* • Mohamed Abrini[1]
* Metro station:
* • Khalid El Bakraoui (deceased)[1]
* • Osama Krayem[1]

Motive| Islamic extremism

On 22 March 2016, two coordinated terrorist attacks in and close to Brussels, Belgium, were carried out by the Islamic State (IS). Two suicide bombers detonated bombs at Brussels Airport in Zaventem just outside Brussels, and one detonated a bomb on a train leaving Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station in the city's European Quarter. Thirty-two people were killed and more than 300 were injured. Three perpetrators also died. A third airport attacker fled the scene without detonating his bomb, which was later found in a search of the airport. A second metro attacker also fled, taking his bomb with him. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The perpetrators belonged to a terrorist cell that had been involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks and the attacks happened shortly after a series of police raids targeting the group. The Belgian Government declared three days of national mourning after the bombings, which were the deadliest attacks on Belgium since World War II.

In December 2022, ten men accused of involvement in the attacks went on trial in Brussels. Six were convicted of terrorist-related murder and attempted murder, while two were convicted of terrorist activities.

## Background

[edit]

Belgium was a participant in the military intervention against the Islamic State during the War in Iraq. In September 2014, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives voted to send six F-16s for one month to support the US-led coalition.[2]

Belgium had more nationals fighting for jihadist forces as a proportion of its population than any other Western European country, with an estimated 440 Belgians having left for Syria and Iraq as of January 2015.[3][4] Estimates suggested that Belgium had supplied the highest per capita number of fighters to Syria of any European nation, with 350 to 550 fighters, out of a total population of 11 million that includes fewer than 500,000 Muslims.[5] Some reports have claimed Belgium's weak security apparatus and competing intelligence agencies made it a hub of jihadist-recruiting and terrorist activity,[6] while others assert that Belgium faces the same problems as many European countries in this regard.[7] According to Kenneth Lasoen, security expert at Ghent University, the attacks happened more as a result of policy failure rather than intelligence failure.[8]

### Terrorist cells in Brussels

[edit]

Before the bombings, several Islamist terrorist attacks had originated from Belgium, and a number of counter-terrorist operations had been carried out there.[9] Between 2014 and 2015, the number of wiretapping and surveillance operations directed at suspected terrorists by Belgian intelligence almost doubled.[10] In May 2014, a French gunman who had spent over a year in Syria, attacked the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels, killing four people.[11] In January 2015, anti-terrorist operations against a group thought to be planning an imminent attack had left two suspects dead in the town of Verviers, with raids in Brussels and Zaventem also being carried out.[12] In August 2015, a terrorist shot and injured a passenger aboard a high-speed train on its way from Amsterdam to Paris via Brussels, before he was subdued by other passengers.[13]

The November 2015 Paris attacks were co-ordinated from Belgium and Brussels was locked down for five days to allow the police to search for suspects with the aid of the military.[14] On 18 March 2016, four days before the Brussels bombings, Salah Abdeslam and another suspect in the Paris attacks were captured after two anti-terrorist raids in Brussels. A third suspect was killed during one of the raids.[15] During questioning the day after his arrest, Abdeslam claimed not to know the El Bakroui brothers or to recognize them from photographs.[16] Belgian investigators believed that Abdeslam's arrest may have hastened the Brussels bombings.[17] According to the Belgian Interior Minister, Jan Jambon, who spoke after the bombings, authorities knew of preparations for an extremist act in Europe, but they underestimated the scale of the attack.[18]

## Attacks

[edit]

Timeline of attacks

>   * 7:33 – The three attackers arrive at Brussels Airport in a taxi.[19]

>   * 7:58 – Two explosions occur in the airport's check-in area, 9 seconds apart.[20]
>   * 9:04 – Belgium raises the terror threat level to its highest level.[21]
>   * 9:11 – An explosion occurs in Brussels Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.[20]
>   * 9:27 – All public transport is suspended in the city.[22]
>   * 11:15 – Eurostar rail journeys between London and Brussels are cancelled until further notice.[23]
>   * 13:57 – Bomb disposal officers detonate a third bomb at Brussels Airport.[24]

> All times are CET (UTC+1).

There were two coordinated attacks: two attackers exploded nail bombs at Brussels Airport, and one attacker exploded a bomb at Maelbeek metro station.[22]

### Brussels Airport

[edit]

Two suicide bombers, carrying explosives in large suitcases, attacked the departure hall at Brussels Airport in Zaventem. The first explosion occurred at 07:58 in check-in row 11; the second explosion occurred about nine seconds later in check-in row 2. The suicide bombers were visible in CCTV footage.[1] Some witnesses said that before the first explosion occurred, there were shouts in Arabic.[1] Some also reported hearing gunfire but investigators established that no shots were fired, although both suicide bombers were carrying handguns which had detonated due to the explosions.[25]

A third suicide bomber left the airport without detonating his bomb, which was later found in a search of the airport and destroyed by a controlled explosion.[20]

### Maelbeek metro station

[edit]

A CCTV still of the bombing

Just over an hour later, at 9:11, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a rucksack in the middle carriage of a three-carriage train at Maelbeek metro station, located near the European Commission headquarters in the European Quarter of Brussels, 10 kilometres (6 mi) from Brussels Airport.[26] The train was travelling on line 5 towards the city centre, and was pulling out of Maelbeek metro station when the bomb exploded.[27] The driver immediately stopped the train and helped to evacuate the passengers.[28] The Brussels Metro was subsequently shut down at 09:27.[22]

A second suicide bomber carrying a bomb in a rucksack left the metro without detonating his bomb, instead taking it back to a hideout in Etterbeek, an eastern municipality of Brussels, where he dismantled it.[29]

## Victims

[edit]

Deaths by citizenship[30][31] Citizenship  | Deaths

|

Belgium  | 14
United States  | 4
Netherlands  | 3
Sweden  | 2
Democratic Republic of Congo[b] | 1
China  | 1
India  | 1
Italy[c] | 1
Morocco[d] | 1
Germany  | 1
Peru  | 1
Poland  | 1
United Kingdom  | 1
Total | 32

Thirty-two people, excluding the three suicide bombers, were killed in the attacks and over 300 were injured. Sixteen died in the airport attack and sixteen in the metro attack.[1] The bombings were the deadliest attack on Belgium since World War II.[32]

Seventeen of the victims were Belgian (including three with dual nationality) and the rest were foreign nationals.[1] Foreign victims came from different countries including the US, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland, China, India and Peru. They ranged in age from 20 years to 79 years.[30]

Among the fatalities at the airport was retired diplomat André Adam, who had served as Belgian Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as Ambassador to the United States.[33]

On 25 July 2023, a Brussels court ruled that three people who had died in the years following the attacks should be recognised as victims and the official number of victims was revised from 32 to 35. One woman died by euthanasia due to psychological suffering, one man died by suicide and one man died of cancer, his treatment having been interrupted due to the injuries he sustained in the metro bombing.[34]

## Perpetrators

[edit]

Still from CCTV footage showing Najim Laachraoui (left), Ibrahim El Bakraoui (centre), and Mohamed Abrini (right).[1]

See also: Brussels ISIL terror cell

### Profiles

[edit]

A total of five attackers took bombs into the airport and metro, with three of them dying in suicide bombings and the remaining two, who left without detonating their bombs, arrested sixteen days later. All five had also been involved in the planning and organization of the November 2015 Paris attacks. They were identified and named as:

* Ibrahim El Bakraoui, aged 29, was one of the suicide bombers at Brussels Airport. In 2010, he had shot and injured a police officer during an attempted robbery at a currency exchange office. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was released early. In June 2015 he was arrested in Turkey near the Syrian border and deported. He was wanted in connection with the Paris attacks.[35]
* Najim Laachraoui, aged 24, was one of the suicide bombers at Brussels Airport. He had travelled to Syria in 2013. He is believed to have made the bombs used in the Paris attacks.[35]
* Khalid El Bakraoui: aged 27, the younger brother of Ibrahim El Bakraoui, carried out the suicide bombing at Maelbeek metro station. In 2012 he received a prison sentence for a violent car-jacking. He was wanted for breaching his parole conditions and also in connection with the Paris attacks.[35]
* Mohamed Abrini, born 27 December 1984, fled Brussels Airport without detonating his bomb. He was arrested on 8 April 2016. He was a childhood friend of brothers Salah Abdeslam and Brahim Adbeslam, who were both involved in the Paris attacks. On 29 June 2022 at a court in Paris, Abrini was convicted of involvement in the attacks and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years.[36]
* Osama Krayem: born 16 August 1992, accompanied Khalid El Bakraoui to the metro but fled without detonating his explosives. He was arrested on 8 April 2016.[1] Having grown up in Sweden, he went to Syria in 2015 and joined the IS group.[37] On 29 June 2022 at the Paris attacks trial, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.[36]

### Investigation

[edit]

The airport attackers had ordered a taxi from an address on the Rue Max Roos/Max Roosstraat in Schaerbeek, a northern municipality of Brussels, on 22 March 2016. Within half an hour of the airport attack, the taxi driver had contacted police. On hearing of the attacks on the radio, he became suspicious of his previous passengers who had refused his offer of help with loading and unloading their heavy suitcases, and had left a chemical smell in the taxi. He went to a police station and was able to recognise the three men from security camera video of Brussels Airport which showed the attackers pushing the suitcases containing bombs on luggage trolleys in the departure hall.[38] This early lead allowed the police to search the apartment on the Rue Max Roos the same day. They found a suitcase bomb that had been left behind because it would not fit into the taxi, and also bomb making material and equipment and an IS flag.[39] Earlier in the morning of 22 March 2016, municipal workers clearing rubbish in the Rue Max Roos had retrieved a laptop from a bin. When they realized that it contained IS-related material they handed it to the police. Analysis of the laptop revealed numerous files relating to IS, the Paris attacks, potential targets (including the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel), as well as messages, texts, wills and photographs created by the Brussels attackers.[40]

On 24 and 25 March 2016 police arrested twelve people in raids in Belgium, France and Germany. One man was identified as the third airport attacker, the "man in the hat" seen on CCTV with the two suicide bombers at the airport on the day of the attacks. He was charged with terrorist offences.[41] It turned out to be a case of mistaken identity and the man was released after providing an alibi. Abrini later admitted to being the "man in the hat".[42] The FBI's Next Gen Identification System facial recognition software helped confirm the identification of the "man with the hat" on CCTV footage as Abrini.[43]

While the airport attackers were using the hideout in the Rue Max Roos in Schaerbeek, the metro attackers were using a hideout in the municipality of Etterbeek in the south-east of Brussels. Analysis of phone records had located them in the area on the morning of the attacks, but it was only after the arrest of Krayem on 8 April 2016 that police were given the address of a studio apartment in the Avenue des Casernes/Kazernenlaan. A search of the studio revealed little, as it had in the meantime been cleaned, but CCTV recording from the entrance hall of the block allowed investigators to track the movements of members of the Brussels cell who had stayed at or visited the address.[44]

## Aftermath

[edit]

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks later on the same day, saying that Belgium had been attacked as "a country participating in the international coalition against the Islamic State".[45]

Raids and searches were made across Belgium, while security was heightened in a number of countries as a result of the attacks.[46]

### Belgium

[edit]

Digital billboard in Brussels. It reads, in French, "Stay where you are, avoid all movement, prioritise communications by text message or social media." People gathering, chalk drawings and flowers for the victims. The largest message says (translated from French), Brussels is beautiful, with further inscriptions of Stop violence, Stop war, Unity, and Humanity.

Air traffic to Brussels Airport was halted after the attacks and passenger flights did not resume until twelve days later, on 3 April 2016, with three Brussels Airlines flights leaving for Faro, Turin and Athens.[47] The re-built departure hall partially re-opened on 1 May 2016 with heightened security causing long queues.[48] All public transport in Brussels was shut down following the attacks, with major railway stations also closed and Eurostar and Thalys journeys cancelled.[49] Maelbeek metro station re-opened on 25 April 2016.[50] After the attacks, enhanced security measures were introduced at Brussels Airport and in the metro.[51]

Following the attacks Belgium raised its terror threat to the highest level of four, lowering it again to three on 24 March 2016.[52] The government expanded the military protection of potential targets, that had been in place since January 2015, to include more soft targets and public places (Operation Vigilant Guardian).[53] Temporary border checks were implemented by Belgian and French authorities at some major crossings on the France-Belgium border.[54] The country's two nuclear power plants – Tihange and Doel – were partially evacuated as a precaution.[55]

The federal government announced three days of national mourning, lasting from Tuesday 22 March until Thursday 24 March, and flags were flown at half-mast on public buildings.[56] There was also a one-minute silence held at noon local time on 23 March, which ended with spontaneous applause and chants of "Vive la Belgique" at the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein.[57] Five days after the attacks, disturbances broke out at the makeshift memorial in the Place de la Bourse resulting in riot police using water cannons to disperse right-wing demonstrators.[58]

There was immediate condemnation of the attacks from Belgian Muslim groups such as the League of Imams in Belgium and Executive of the Muslims in Belgium, who publicly condemned the bombings and expressed their condolences to the victims and their families.[59] On 1 April, religious leaders in Brussels gathered together for a memorial to the victims of the bombings. They expressed their desire to spread a religious message of unity throughout Belgium, and to combat extremism.[60]

The mayor of Molenbeek, to which several of the terrorists involved in the Brussels and Paris attacks had connections, commenced a clean-up operation with the help of national authorities. Some mosques were closed for using incendiary language and an investigation mounted into nonprofit organizations in the area with links to illegal activities or religious radicalism.[61] It was found that of 1,600 nonprofit organisations registered in the district, 102 had links to criminal activities, including 51 with links to religious radicalism or terrorism.[62]

After the attacks two non-profit organisations, Life4Brussels and V-Europe, were set up to help victims.[63][64]

On 29 March 2016, it was revealed that Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui were released early from prison (in 2015 and 2013 respectively) due to a law introduced in 1888 known as Lejeune, which allows inmates to be released after serving a third of their sentence. Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon stated that the government had agreed to update the law in 2014.[65]

A report commissioned by the government suggested that Belgium had lost nearly €1 billion as a result of the attacks with the hospitality and retail industries being especially hard hit.[66]

On 3 January 2019, a hard disk containing autopsy reports of victims of the Brussels attacks was amongst items stolen from a medical examiner's office in the Portalis court building in Brussels. A man who had previously been convicted of terrorist offences was charged with the theft.[67]

### Other countries

[edit]

In the aftermath of the attacks, security was tightened at airports, railway stations and other key sites in Europe and across the world.[68]

## Reactions

[edit]

Main article: Reactions to the 2016 Brussels bombings

The sculpture Flight in Mind by the artist Olivier Strebelle was damaged in the attacks. After some months of restoration, the sculpture was relocated to an outdoor area of the airport. It is seen here on the 1st anniversary of the attacks.

On the evening of 22 March 2016, King Philippe gave a televised address to the nation.[69] The following day, he and Queen Mathilde visited the airport, as well as some of the injured in hospital.[70]

Following the attacks, a number of structures around the world were illuminated in the colours of the Belgian flag, including the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, and the Trevi Fountain in Rome.[71] In New York City, the One World Trade Center was lit up, while the spire of the Empire State Building went dark.[72]

Hours after the attack, the French-language hashtag #JeSuisBruxelles (#IamBrussels) and images of the Belgian comic character Tintin crying trended on social media sites.[73] Also, hashtags such as #ikwilhelpen (#Iwanttohelp) and #PorteOuverte (#Opendoor) were used by Brussels residents who wanted to offer shelter and assistance for people who might need help.[74] Facebook activated its Safety Check feature following the attacks.[75]

While there was overwhelming support for Belgium, some used the attacks to support their political views and debate the issue of Islam in Western countries.[76] Some expressed concern over the disproportionate emphasis placed on the attacks in Brussels over similar attacks in other countries, particularly in Turkey, where an attack had occurred just days before.[77]

## 2014 murder

[edit]

It is thought that the El-Bakraoui brothers were responsible for the unsolved murder in 2014 of an elderly man who was shot as he walked home from a café in the Jette area of Brussels. Abrini and Krayem told investigators that the brothers had said that they carried out the murder to see what it was like to kill someone. The victim's widow was told in 2020 that it was almost certain that the El-Bakraoui brothers had killed her husband, although officially the case was closed.[78]

## Parliamentary inquiry

[edit]

On 14 April 2016, the Belgian Federal Parliament established a commission of inquiry into the attacks and the failure of the security forces to prevent them. The commission was also given the task of examining the emergency response to the attacks and assistance to victims, the development of radicalism in Belgium, and the structure of the country's security services.[79]: 11 Between August 2016 and October 2017, the commission published four interim reports: "Emergency response"; "Assistance to the victims"; "Security architecture"; "Radicalism".[79]: 12 The commission identified a number of problems with security forces: government and security forces running in parallel rather than together; faulty communications both within the country and with foreign counterparts of Belgian services; a failure to pay sufficient attention to proactive action and prevention of terrorism and radicalism; the underfunding of various security units; a lack of cooperation between units; a need for improved cooperation with European and international agencies; a proliferation of rules and procedures that threatened to exacerbate a lack of coherence in policy.[79]: 38-9 The commission identified a need for security forces to strengthen information management and establish an information-sharing culture within and between the security services. Whilst some services had too little information others suffered from information overload.[79]: 43 The commission's report also addressed a number of criticisms levelled at Belgium by the French parliamentary investigation into the November 2015 Paris attacks.[79]: 59

## Trial

[edit]

In December 2022, ten men went on trial in Brussels for their involvement in the bombings. Oussama Atar, thought to have been killed in Syria, was tried in absentia. The nine accused who appeared in court were Mohamed Abrini, Osama Krayem, Salah Abdeslam, Sofien Ayari, Bilal El Makhoukhi, Hervé Bayingana Muhirwa, Ali El Haddad Asufi, Smail Farisi and Ibrahim Farisi. All except Ibrahim Farisi were charged with belonging to a terrorist group and terrorist-related murder and attempted murder. Ibrahim Farisi was charged only with belonging to a terrorist group. Six of the accused (Abrini, Krayem, Abdeslam, Ayari, El Haddad Asufi and Atar) had already been convicted in the Paris attacks trial. The Farisi brothers were on bail, while the others were all detained. The trial took place with a jury before presiding judge Laurence Massart in the Justitia building (the former headquarters of NATO) in Evere, Brussels.[80]

The trial was scheduled to start in October 2022 but was delayed as the defence lawyers objected to the design of the box, which then had to be rebuilt.[81][82] In December and January there were interruptions to the trial as the defendants objected to being strip-searched before their transfer from prison to the courtroom.[83]

The verdicts were announced on 25 July 2023 after the jury had deliberated for eighteen days. Six of the accused, Atar, Abrini, Abdeslam, El Haddad Asufi, El Makhoukhi and Krayem were found guilty of terrorist-related murder and attempted murder. Ayari and Muhirwa were convicted of terrorist activities but cleared of murder and attempted murder while the Farisi brothers were cleared of all charges against them.[84]

After the verdicts, the court took a summer break. The jury and three judges then deliberated for five days over sentences, which were announced on 15 September 2023. Krayem, El Makhoukhi and Atar received life sentences. Abrini was sentenced to 30 years, El Haddad Asufi to 20 years, and Muhirwa to 10 years. Abrini and Ayari did not receive sentences, as the court considered that the 20-year sentences they had been given in 2018 for the Forest shootout, were sufficient.[85][86]

## Memorialization

[edit]

Wall of messages at Maelbeek metro station

In the aftermath of the attacks, the population of Brussels created spontaneous memorials as a societal reaction to what was perceived as a collective tragedy. In the hours following the attack, people started gathering at the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein. Mourners wrote chalk messages on the pavement and buildings surrounding the square. Numerous messages and mementos, usually every-day objects such as mugs or hats, were left at the Brussels Stock Exchange memorial. According to Ana Milosevic, a researcher at KU Leuven, societal tensions and the need for answers about the causes and consequences of the attacks were salient in the first days and weeks after the event. During the two months of its existence, the Brussels Stock Exchange memorial was used as a site of contestation and negotiation of the meanings associated with the terrorist attacks.[87]

The Archives of the City of Brussels were asked by the mayor Yvan Mayeur and the city council to collect and document the societal reactions to the attacks. Over two months, the archives team documented the process of memorialization, also collecting some of the memorabilia left by the mourners.[88]

In November 2016, a sculpture in memory of the victims of the bombings was inaugurated in the Place Communale/Gemeenteplein (Municipal Square) of Molenbeek. The sculpture, called the Flame of Hope, was created by local artist Moustapha Zoufri.[89]

There is a memorial plaque in the departure hall of Brussels Airport, and, in the nearby Memorial Garden, a plaque listing the 16 people who died in the airport attack was inaugurated on 22 March 2018.[90]

Following a public competition, a monument to the victims was unveiled by King Philippe on the first anniversary of the attacks on the pedestrianized section of the Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, between Schuman metro station and the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark. The monument, by Jean-Henri Compère, is called Wounded But Still Standing in Front of the Inconceivable and is constructed from two 20-metre (66 foot) long horizontal surfaces rising skywards.[32]

The Brussels-Capital Region also memorialized the attacks with a land-art work by Bas Smets, who planted 32 birches (one for each victim) in the Sonian Forest (Drève de l'Infante/Infantedreef) called Memorial 22/03. Smets describes the memorial as "a place of silence and meditation." The birches are connected by a circular structure and separated from the rest of the forest by a small round canal.[91]

In Maelbeek metro station, a commemorative mural called The Olive Tree was created by Benoît van Innis, who previously designed the metro station, and a list of the sixteen victims was unveiled at the third commemorative anniversary next to the mural.[92]

* The impromptu memorial at the Brussels Stock Exchange

* The Flame of Hope by Mustapha Zoufri in Molenbeek, in honour of the victims of the Paris and Brussels attacks

* Wounded But Still Standing in Front of the Inconceivable, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat, Brussels

* Memorial to the attacks of 22 Mars 2016, Etterbeek (Jardin Felix Hap)

* Memorial 22/03 by Bas Smets in the Sonian Forest

* The Olive Tree by Benoît van Innis in Maelbeek metro station

* Memorial plaque for the 16 victims in Maelbeek metro station

## Further reading

[edit]

### Books by academics

[edit]

* Paul Ponsaers (2017) Jihadi's in België: de route naar Zaventem en Maalbeek. Antwerp: Maklu Uitgevers ISBN 9789046608937
* Cyrille Fijnaut (2020) De samenhang tussen georganiseerde misdaad en terrorisme en de aanslagen in Parijs en Brussel in 2015-2016. Cambridge and Antwerp: Intersentia ISBN 9789400012776

### Books by journalists

[edit]

* Joanie De Rijke and Tine Gregoor (2021) Bommen in Brussel. Vijf jaar na de aanslagen, 22 maart 2016. Antwerp: Uitgeverij Vrijdag ISBN 946001982X

### Books by victims

[edit]

* Caroline S. Leruth (2017) Attentat Aéroport Bruxelles: Ce que j'ai vu. Annecy Le Vieux: Éditions Kawa ISBN 9782367781556
* Mohamed El Bachiri (2017) Un jihad de l'amour. Paris: JC Lattès ISBN 9782709660839
* Walter Benjamin (2018) J'ai vu la mort en face, une vie après l'attentat. Monaco: Éditions du Rocher ISBN 9782268099217
* Nidhi Chaphekar (2020) Herboren: Hoe ik terugvocht na de terroristische aanslag in Brussel. Tielt: Lannoo ISBN 9789401468992
* Karen Northshield (2021) Dans le souffle de la bombe. Loverval: Kennes Éditions ISBN 9782380753288
* Janet Winston-Young (2021) Paris-Bruxelles, au coeur des attentats. Paris: Le Passeur Éditeur ISBN 9782368908648

## See also

[edit]

* August 2017 Brussels attack
* June 2017 Brussels attack
* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
* List of Islamist terrorist attacks
* List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL
* Terrorism in the European Union

Portal:

* Belgium

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Revised to 35 in 2023, with one survivor dying by suicide, one survivor dying by euthanasia, and one survivor dying from cancer after his treatment was paused due to treatment for injuries from the attack.
2. ^ A Congolese-Belgian man
3. ^ An Italian-Belgian woman
4. ^ A Moroccan-Belgian woman

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Brussels explosions: What we know about airport and metro attacks". BBC News. 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
2. ^ Nigel Morris (27 September 2014). "Iraq: Danes send attack planes". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
3. ^ Nina Elbagir; Bharati Nailk; Laila Ben Allal (22 March 2016). "Belgium: Europe's front line in the war on terror". CNN. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
4. ^ Neumann, Peter (26 January 2015). "Foreign fighter total in Syria/Iraq now exceeds 20,000; surpasses Afghanistan conflict in the 1980s". ICSR. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
5. ^ Burke, Jason (16 November 2015). "How Belgium became a breeding ground for international terrorists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
6. ^ "How Belgium Became a Jihadist-Recruiting Hub". The Wall Street Journal. 29 September 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
7. ^ Lasoen, Kenneth (2018). "Plan B(ruxelles): Belgian Intelligence and the Terror Attacks of 2015–16". Terrorism and Political Violence. 32 (6): 1–19\. doi:10.1080/09546553.2018.1464445. S2CID 149729772.
8. ^ Lasoen, Kenneth (2017). "Indications and warning in Belgium. Brussels is not Delphi". Journal of Strategic Studies. 40 (7): 927–962\. doi:10.1080/01402390.2017.1288111. S2CID 157685300.
9. ^ Lasoen, Kenneth (2018). "Plan B(ruxelles): Belgian Intelligence and the Terror Attacks of 2015–16". Terrorism and Political Violence. 32 (6): 1–19\. doi:10.1080/09546553.2018.1464445. S2CID 149729772.
10. ^ Kenneth Lasoen (2019). "Belgian Intelligence SIGINT Operations". International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence. 32 (1). International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence 32 (2019), p. 8: 1–29\. doi:10.1080/08850607.2018.1488501. S2CID 158963928.
11. ^ "Brussels Jewish Museum killings: Man held in Marseille". BBC News. 1 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
12. ^ "Belgian anti-terror raid in Verviers 'leaves two dead'". BBC News. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
13. ^ "France train shooting: Three hurt and man arrested". BBC News. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
14. ^ Kenneth Lasoen (2019). "War of Nerves. The Domestic Terror Threat and the Belgian Army". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 42 (11). Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2018): 953–971\. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2018.1431270. S2CID 116180694.
15. ^ "Paris attacks: Salah Abdeslam 'worth his weight in gold'". BBC News. 21 March 2016. Archived from the original on 25 August 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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## External links

[edit]

* Media related to 2016 Brussels bombings at Wikimedia Commons
* Explosions at Brussels airport and subway systems at Wikinews

* v
* t
* e

Brussels ISIL terror cell

Attacks|

* November 2015 Paris attacks
* reactions
* Brussels bombings
* reactions

Main suspects|

* Abdelhamid Abaaoud
* Salah Abdeslam

Paris suspects|

* Stade de France
* Bilal Hadfi
* Ahmad Al Mohammad
* M al-Mahmod
* Bars and restaurants
* Brahim Abdeslam
* Chakib Akrouh
* Bataclan theatre
* Samy Amimour
* Omar Ismail Mostefai
* Foued Mohamed-Aggad
* Others
* Fabien Clain
* Mohamed Belkaid
* Monir Ahmed Alaaj

Brussels suspects|

* Brussels Airport
* Ibrahim El Bakraoui
* Najim Laachraoui
* Mohamed Abrini
* Maalbeek metro station
* Khalid El Bakraoui
* Osama Krayem

Related|

* Cannes-Torcy cell
* January 2015 anti-terrorism operations in Belgium
* 2015 Saint-Denis raid
* Opération Chammal
* Brussels lockdown
* 2016 Brussels police raids

* Terrorism in Belgium
* Terrorism in France
* List of terrorist incidents in France
* List of Islamist terrorist attacks

* v
* t
* e

Brussels

City of Brussels * Brussels-Capital Region * Brussels metropolitan area

| Historical events|

* Timeline
* Fortifications
* Massacre (1370)
* 1656 treaty
* 1695 bombardment
* 1746 siege
* Duchess of Richmond's ball
* Covering of the Senne
* Francisation
* Expo 1897
* Expo 1910
* Expo 1935
* Expo 1958
* L'Innovation department store fire
* Heysel Stadium disaster
* 2016 bombings (reactions)

|
|

Administration|

* Government (Minister-President)
* Parliament
* Governor

| Historical|

* Drapery Court of Brussels
* Guilds of Brussels

|

Transport|

* Metro
* S Train
* Brussels Airport
* Charleroi Airport
* North–South connection
* Trams
* Brussels Ring
* Small Ring

Symbols|

* Symbols
* Flags
* Iris Festival

Other topics|

* Brussels and the European Union
* Science and technology

Lists|

* Notable persons
* Buildings
* Museums
* Railway stations
* Metro stations
* Schools
* Parks and gardens

Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium

* Anderlecht
* Auderghem / Oudergem
* Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Sint-Agatha-Berchem
* Bruxelles-Ville / Stad Brussel
* Etterbeek
* Evere
* Forest / Vorst
* Ganshoren
* Ixelles / Elsene
* Jette
* Koekelberg
* Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
* Saint-Gilles / Sint-Gillis
* Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Sint-Joost-ten-Node
* Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek
* Uccle / Ukkel
* Watermael-Boitsfort / Watermaal-Bosvoorde
* Woluwe-Saint-Lambert / Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe
* Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe

Belgium portal

* v
* t
* e

Islamic terrorism in Europe

General|

* Terrorism in Europe
* Islamic terrorism
* Islamic extremism
* Islam and violence
* Jihadism
* Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
* ISIL-related terrorist attacks in France
* Brussels ISIL terror cell
* Cannes-Torcy cell
* Insurgency in the North Caucasus
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
* Al-Qaeda involvement in Europe
* Lone wolf
* Salafi jihadism

Attacks|

| East|

* 2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing
* Shchelkovo Highway police station attack
* Crocus City Hall attack

|

North|

* 2010 Stockholm bombings
* 2015 Copenhagen shootings
* 2017 Stockholm truck attack
* 2017 Turku attack
* 2022 Oslo shooting

| United
Kingdom|

* 2005 London bombings
* Glasgow Airport attack
* Murder of Lee Rigby
* 2017 Westminster attack
* Manchester Arena bombing
* 2017 London Bridge attack
* Parsons Green train bombing
* 2019 London Bridge stabbing
* 2020 Streatham stabbing
* 2020 Reading stabbings
* Murder of David Amess

|

South|

* 2003 Istanbul bombings
* 2004 Madrid train bombings
* 2017 Barcelona attacks

West|

* 2020 Vienna attack

| Belgium|

* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting
* 2016 Brussels bombings
* 2016 stabbing of Charleroi police officers
* 2016 stabbing of Brussels police officers
* June 2017 Brussels attack
* August 2017 Brussels attack
* 2018 Liège attack

|

France|

* Air France Flight 8969
* 1995 bombings
* Toulouse and Montauban shootings
* 2013 La Défense attack
* 2014 Tours police station stabbing
* 2015 Île-de-France attacks
* Charlie Hebdo shooting
* Hypercacher siege
* 2015 Nice stabbing
* Saint-Quentin-Fallavier attack
* 2015 Thalys train attack
* 2015 Paris attacks
* 2016 Paris police station attack
* 2016 Magnanville stabbing
* 2016 Nice truck attack
* 2016 Normandy church attack
* 2017 Orly Airport attack
* 2017 Champs-Élysées attack
* 2017 Notre Dame attack
* 2017 Champs-Élysées ramming
* Levallois-Perret attack
* 2017 Marseille stabbing
* Carcassonne and Trèbes attack
* 2018 Paris knife attack
* 2018 Strasbourg attack
* 2019 Lyon bombing
* Paris police headquarters stabbing
* 2020 Romans-sur-Isère knife attack
* 2020 Paris stabbing attack
* Murder of Samuel Paty
* 2020 Nice stabbing
* Rambouillet knife attack

Germany|

* 2011 Frankfurt Airport shooting
* Hanover stabbing
* Würzburg train attack
* 2016 Ansbach bombing
* 2016 Berlin truck attack
* 2017 Hamburg knife attack

Netherlands|

* Murder of Theo van Gogh
* 2018 Amsterdam stabbing attack
* 2019 Utrecht tram shooting

Counter-
terrorism|

| Operations|

* Opération Sentinelle, France
* Operation Vigilant Guardian, Belgium
* Operation Temperer, UK

|

Raids|

* 2014 anti-terrorism operations in Norway
* January 2015 anti-terrorism operations in Belgium
* Brussels lockdown
* 2016 Brussels police raids
* 2015 Saint-Denis, France raid
* 2017 Saint Petersburg raid

* v
* t
* e

Islamic State

Names of the Islamic State

Members
(List of leaders)|

| Current|

*   * Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari
* Abdul Qadir Mumin
* Abu Yusaf
* Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi
* Abu Habib al-Libi
* Abu Jandal al-Masri
* Bajro Ikanović
* Faysal Ahmad Ali al-Zahrani
* Fatiha Mejjati
* Ahlam al-Nasr
* Issam Abuanza
* Musa Baluku
* Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi
* Zulfi Hoxha

|

† Former|

* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
* Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
* Abu Ahmad al-Alwani
* Haji Bakr
* Abu Usamah al-Maghrebi
* Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi
* Abu Muhannad al-Suwaydawi
* Abdul Rauf Aliza
* Abu Sayyaf
* Ali Awni al-Harzi
* Tariq al-Harzi
* Abu Khattab al-Tunisi
* Maher Meshaal
* Abu Muslim al-Turkmani
* Abu Saleh
* Mohammed Emwazi
* Abu Nabil al-Anbari
* Abu Ali al-Anbari
* Abu Waheeb
* Ali Aswad al-Jiburi
* Abu Omar al-Shishani
* El-Hassen Ould Khalill Jouleibib
* Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Abu Muhammad al-Furqan
* André Poulin
* Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti
* Abu Bilal al-Harbi
* Ahmad Abousamra
* Turki al-Binali
* Tareq Kamleh
* Lavdrim Muhaxheri
* Abu Osama al-Masri
* Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
* Abu Muhammad al-Shimali
* Gulmurod Khalimov
* Abdul Nasser Qardash (captured)
* Abu Yasser al-Issawi
* Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Yusuf al-Hindi
* Abu Omar al-Muhajir (captured)
* Othman al-Nazih
* Jamal Udeen Al-Harith
* Aine Davis (captured)
* Alexanda Kotey (captured)
* El Shafee Elsheikh (captured)
* Denis Cuspert
* Abdelhamid Abaaoud
* Boubaker El Hakim
* Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

History|

* Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004)
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–2006)
* Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)
* Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)
* Islamic State (2014–present)

Timeline of events|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Groups|

| International branches|

* Khorasan Province (Afghanistan and Pakistan)
* Libyan Provinces (Libya)
* Caucasus Province (North Caucasus, Russia)
* Sinai Province (Sinai, Egypt)
* Algeria Province (Algeria)
* Yemen Province (Yemen)
* Abnaa ul-Khilafah (Somalia and Somaliland)
* Bengal Province (Bangladesh)
* Boko Haram (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Mali) (2015–2016)
* West Africa Province (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger)
* Central Africa Province (DR Congo and Uganda)
* Sahil Province (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso)
* Hind Province (India)
* Tunisia Province
* Pakistan Province (Pakistan)
* Turkey Province (Turkey)
* Azerbaijan Province (Azerbaijan)
* Islamic State – Philippines Province (Philippines)
* Mozambique Province (Mozambique)
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Syria) (2016–2018)
* Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Gaza)
* Abu Sayyaf (Philippines) (2014–2024)
* Ansar Khalifa (Philippines) (2014–2021)
* Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil (Brazil) (2016–2018)
* East Indonesia Mujahideen (Indonesia) (2014–2022)

|

Unorganized cells|

* Jammu and Kashmir Province (Jammu and Kashmir)
* Kurdistan Province (Kurdistan)
* Haramayn Province (Saudi Arabia and Bahrain)
* Lebanon Province (Lebanon)
* Brussels Islamic State terror cell (Belgium)

Wars|

* War on terror
* Iraq War
* Insurgency (2003–2011)
* Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Insurgency (2017–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Spillover
* Spillover in Lebanon
* Opposition–Islamic State conflict
* Sinai insurgency
* Second Libyan Civil War
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Mozambique
* Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
* Mali War
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Conflict with Taliban
* Moro conflict (1968–2019)
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Boko Haram insurgency
* Military intervention against IS
* US intervention in Iraq
* US intervention in Syria
* Russian intervention in Syria
* Turkish operation
* Somalia

Battles|

| 2013|

* Akashat
* Hawija
* Raqqa
* Al-Shabah
* Ras al-Ayn
* Tell Abyad
* Latakia
* Menagh
* Sidi Ali Ben Aoun
* Sadad
* Qalamoun
* Aleppo
* Al-Yaarubiyah
* Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
* Anbar

|

2014|

* Fallujah
* N Aleppo
* Markada
* N Iraq (Jun)
* Mosul
* Salahuddin
* Baiji (Jun)
* Tikrit
* N Iraq (Aug)
* Kobanî
* Sinjar (Aug)
* Derna
* Ramadi
* Deir ez-Zor
* Baiji (14–15)
* Sinjar (Dec)
* Zumar
* Amirli

2015|

* Nofaliya
* W Africa
* Egyptian airstrikes in Libya
* Niger raid
* E al-Hasakah
* Tikrit
* Sirte
* Hama & Homs (Mar–Apr)
* Sarrin (Mar–Apr)
* Yarmouk
* Qalamoun
* Palmyra (May)
* W al-Hasakah
* Al-Hasakah city
* Tell Abyad
* Sarrin (Jun–Jul)
* Al-Hasakah
* Kobani
* Palmyra (Jul–Aug)
* Ramadi (15–16)
* Al-Qaryatayn
* Al-Hawl
* Homs (Nov–Dec)
* Sinjar
* E Aleppo (15–16)
* Niveneh Plains
* Tishrin Dam

2016|

* Deir ez-Zor (Jan)
* Fallujah (Feb–May)
* Nangarhar
* Ben Guerdane
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Feb–Mar)
* Al-Shaddadi
* Khanasir
* Al-Qaryatayn (Mar–Apr)
* Palmyra (Mar)
* N Aleppo (Mar–Jun)
* Hīt
* Tipo-Tipo
* Sirte
* Ar-Rutbah
* N Raqqa
* Fallujah (May–Jun)
* Manbij
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Jun)
* Abu Kamal
* al-Rai (Aug)
* N al-Bab (Sep)
* W al-Bab (Sep)
* Dabiq
* W al-Bab (Oct–Nov)
* Al-Bab
* Aleppo
* Palmyra

2017|

* Mosul (16–17)
* Raqqa (16–17)
* Palmyra
* Deir ez-Zor (Jan–Feb)
* E Aleppo (Jan–Apr)
* E Homs
* Hama
* W Nineveh
* Tabqa
* Syrian Desert (Dec 16–Apr 17)
* Syrian Desert (May–Jul)
* Maskanah
* Marawi
* Raqqa
* S Raqqa
* C Syria
* Tal Afar
* Deir ez-Zor (17–19)
* Hawija
* E Syria (Sep–Dec)
* NW Syria (Oct 17–Feb 18)
* Abu Kamal
* W Iraq

2018|

* As-Suwayda (Jun)
* S Syria
* As-Suwayda (Aug–Nov)

2019|

* Hajin
* Baghuz Fawqani
* Barisha raid

2020|

* Chinagodrar
* Danag
* Mocímboa da Praia
* Al Bayda

2021|

* Tessit
* Palma
* Sambisa
* Dangarous

2022|

* Al-Hasakah
* Atme raid
* Andéramboukane
* Talataye

2023|

* Falagountou
* Tin-Akoff

Attacks|

| 2014|

* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting (May)
* Badush prison massacre (Jun)
* Camp Speicher massacre (Jun)
* Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming (Oct)

|

2015|

* Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege (Jan)
* Corinthia Hotel (Jan)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Beheading of Copts in Libya (Feb)
* Al Qubbah bombings (Feb)
* Bardo National Museum (Mar)
* Sanaa bombings (Mar)
* Jalalabad bombing (Apr)
* Killing of Christian migrants in Libya (Apr)
* Curtis Culwell Center (May)
* Qatif & Dammam bombings (May)
* 26 June
* Kobanî massacre
* Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Jun)
* Kuwait mosque bombing
* Sousse
* Khan Bani Saad bombing (Jul)
* Suruç bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Aug)
* Sanaa bombing (Sep)
* Ankara bombings
* Saihat shooting
* Metrojet Flight 9268
* Beirut bombings (Nov)
* Paris (Nov)
* Tunis bombing (Nov)
* San Bernardino (Dec)
* Qamishli bombings (Dec)

2016|

* Zliten truck bombing
* Hurghada (Jan)
* Baghdad–Miqdadiyah attacks (Jan)
* Istanbul bombing (Jan)
* Jakarta (Jan)
* Ramadi bombing (Jan)
* Mahasin mosque
* Sayyidah Zaynab (Jan)
* Mosul massacre
* Dikwa bombings (Feb)
* Homs bombings (Feb)
* Sayyidah Zaynab bombings (Feb)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Istanbul bombing (Mar)
* Brussels bombings
* Aden bombing
* Iskandariya bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Apr)
* Samawa bombing
* Gaziantep bombing (May)
* Baghdad bombings (11 May)
* Real Madrid fan club massacres
* Baghdad gas plant
* Yemen police bombings (15 May)
* Baghdad bombings (17 May)
* Jableh & Tartous bombings (May)
* Yemen bombings (23 May)
* Aktobe shootings
* Pulse nightclub shooting
* Magnanville stabbing
* Mukalla (Jun)
* Movida Bar
* Atatürk Airport
* Dhaka (Jul)
* Karrada bombing
* Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Mausoleum
* Nice truck
* Würzburg train
* Kabul bombing (Jul)
* Ansbach bombing
* Normandy church
* Qamishli bombings (Jul)
* Charleroi stabbing
* Shchelkovo Highway police station
* Aden bombing (Aug)
* Syria bombings (5 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (9 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (Oct)
* Quetta police college
* Hamam al-Alil massacre
* Khuzdar bombing
* Samarinda bombing
* Hillah bombing (Nov)
* Aden bombings (Dec)
* Botroseya bombing
* Al-Karak
* Berlin truck
* Murders of Sefter Taş and Fethi Şahin
* Baghdad bombings (Dec)

2017|

* Istanbul nightclub shooting
* Baghdad bombings (2 Jan)
* Azaz bombing (Jan)
* Sehwan bombing
* Kabul (Mar)
* Westminster
* St Petersburg Metro bombing
* Egypt church bombings
* Mastung bombing
* Manchester Arena bombing
* Jakarta bombings
* Minya
* Al-Faqma bombing
* London Bridge
* Brighton siege
* Tehran
* Pakistan attacks (Jun)
* Hurghada
* Quetta bombing (Aug)
* Barcelona
* Brussels (Aug)
* Nasiriyah
* Afghanistan (20 Oct)
* New York City truck
* Sinai mosque
* Kabul bombing (28 Dec)
* Saint Menas church

2018|

* Baghdad bombings
* Save The Children Jalalabad
* Kizlyar church shooting
* Kabul bombing (Mar)
* Carcasonne & Trèbes
* Kabul bombing (22 Apr)
* Kabul bombings (30 Apr)
* Tripoli
* Mako Brimob standoff
* Paris knife
* Surabaya bombings
* Liège
* Jalalabad bombing (Jul)
* Mastung & Bannu bombings
* Quetta bombing
* As-Suwayda
* Tajikistan attack
* Kabul (Sep)
* Ahvaz military parade
* Minya bus
* Melbourne stabbing
* Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

2019|

* Jolo Cathedral bombings
* Sri Lanka Easter bombings
* Sainthamaruthu shootout
* Kabul bombing (17 Aug)

2020|

* Kabul shooting (6 Mar)
* Kabul gurdwara
* Xitaxi
* Afghanistan (May)
* Jalalabad prison
* Jolo bombings
* Kabul University
* Vienna
* Afghanistan (Dec)

2021|

* Machh
* January Baghdad bombings
* Kabul school bombing
* Kabul airport
* Kunduz bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* Kampala bombings
* Kabul hospital

2022|

* Diyala massacre
* Peshawar mosque
* Hadera shooting
* Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing
* Mazar-i-Sharif minivan bombings
* Bourasso and Namissiguima
* Kuje prison break
* 5 August Kabul bombing
* August Kabul mosque bombing
* Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul
* Shah Cheragh
* Kabul hotel

2023|

* Kabul airport bombing
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan bombing
* Al-Sukhnah
* Hama
* Khar bombing
* Arras school stabbing
* Pul-i-Khumri bombing
* Brussels shooting
* Kabul bombing (Nov)
* Paris
* Mindanao State University bombing

2024|

* Kerman bombings
* Istanbul church shooting
* Balochistan bombings
* Sibi bombing
* Mucojo attack
* Karabulak clash
* Kandahar New Kabul Bank bombing
* Tillabéri attack
* Crocus City Hall attack
* 2024 Guzara Attack
* 2024 Bamyan shooting
* 2024 Beirut US embassy shooting
* Rostov-on-Don pre-trial detention center hostage crisis
* 2024 Dagestan attacks
* 2024 attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade
* 2024 Muscat mosque shooting
* 2024 Kabul bus bombing
* Surovikino penal colony hostage crisis
* 2024 Solingen stabbing
* 2024 Qala Bakhtiar bombing
* 2024 Afghanistan bus shooting

2025|

* 2025 New Orleans truck attack
* Malam-Fatori Suicide Bombing
* Kasanga massacre
* 2025 Villach stabbing attack
* 2025 Darul Uloom Haqqania bombing
* Fambita mosque attack
* 2025 Southern Syria bombings

Politics and organization|

* Finances
* Education
* Ideology
* Medicare
* Military
* Armoured warfare
* Human rights
* Genocide of Christians
* Genocide of Shias
* Genocide of Yazidis
* Genocide of Turkmen
* Persecution of gay and bisexual men
* Killing of captives
* Beheading incidents
* Destruction of cultural heritage
* Occupation of Mosul
* Executions in Mosul

Relations|

* Iran and the Islamic State
* Philippines and the Islamic State
* United Kingdom and the Islamic State
* Trinidad and Tobago and the Islamic State
* Foreign fighters
* Name changes due to the Islamic State
* Portrayal of the Islamic State in American media
* Connection with Saddam Regime and Baath Party

Society|

* Members
* Terrorist cell in Brussels
* Territorial claims
* al-Barakah district
* Collaboration

Media|

* A Second Message to America
* Al-Bayan
* Al-Fatihin
* Al-Furat Media Center
* Al-Hayat Media Center
* Al-I'tisam Media Foundation
* Al-Naba
* Al-Raud
* Amaq News Agency
* Dar al-Islam
* Dabiq
* Dawlat al-Islam Qamat
* Flames of War: The Fighting Has Just Begun
* Huroof
* I'lam foundation
* Istok
* Konstantiniyye
* Rumiyah
* Salil al-Sawarim
* The End of Sykes-Picot
* Turkey and the Fire of Racism
* Voice of Khorasan

Related topics|

* Defeating ISIS
* The Islamic State (documentary)
* ISIS-chan
* Islamism
* Millenarianism
* Sexual violence in the Iraqi insurgency
* Shia–Sunni relations
* Slavery in 21st-century jihadism
* Theocracy

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