Islamic terrorism
In the 1990s and 2000s, a number of radical Islamist networks emerged in Europe with supposed loyalty to al Qaeda. Since 2001, these have supported hundreds of tangible terrorist action plans. The growing terrorist threat in Europe was seriously demonstrated on March 11, 2004 when 191 people were killed in coordinated bomb attacks against four trains in Madrid. On July 7, 2005, a new, major attack on three subway trains and a bus in London came. Here, 52 people were killed.
Country | Number of residents per square kilometer | Proportion of residents in the cities (percent) |
Albania | 105 (2018) | 59.4 (2017) |
Andorra | 164 (2018) | 88.2 (2017) |
Armenia | 104 (2018) | 63.1 (2017) |
Azerbaijan | 120 (2018) | 55.3 (2017) |
Belgium | 377 (2018) | 98.0 (2017) |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 65 (2018) | 47.9 (2017) |
Bulgaria | 65 (2018) | 74.7 (2017) |
Cyprus | 129 (2018) | 66.8 (2017) |
Denmark | 138 (2018) | 87.8 (2017) |
Estonia | 30 (2018) | 68.7 (2017) |
Finland | 18 (2018) | 85.3 (2017) |
France | 122 (2018) | 80.2 (2017) |
Georgia | 65 (2018) | 58.2 (2017) |
Greece | 83 (2018) | 78.7 (2017) |
Ireland | 71 (2018) | 62.9 (2017) |
Iceland | 4 (2018) | 93.8 (2017) |
Italy | 205 (2018) | 70.1 (2017) |
Kosovo | 165 (2017) | – |
Croatia | 73 (2018) | 56.7 (2017) |
Latvia | 31 (2018) | 68.1 (2017) |
Liechtenstein | 237 (2018) | 14.3 (2017) |
Lithuania | 45 (2018) | 67.5 (2017) |
Luxembourg | 250 (2018) | 90.7 (2017) |
Northern Macedonia | – | 57.7 (2017) |
Malta | 1,514 (2018) | 94.5 (2017) |
Moldova | 94 (2018) | 42.6 (2017) |
Monaco | 19 196 (2017) | 100.0 (2017) |
Montenegro | 46 (2018) | 66.5 (2017) |
Netherlands | 511 (2018) | 91.1 (2017) |
Norway | 15 (2018) | 81.9 (2017) |
Poland | 124 (2018) | 60.1 (2017) |
Portugal | 112 (2018) | 64.7 (2017) |
Romania | 85 (2018) | 53.9 (2017) |
Russia | 9 (2018) | 74.3 (2017) |
San Marino | 563 (2018) | 97.1 (2017) |
Switzerland | 215 (2018) | 73.8 (2017) |
Serbia | 80 (2018) | 55.9 (2017) |
Slovakia | 113 (2018) | 53.8 (2017) |
Slovenia | 103 (2018) | 54.3 (2017) |
Spain | 94 (2018) | 80.1 (2017) |
UK | 275 (2018) | 83.1 (2017) |
Sweden | 25 (2018) | 87.1 (2017) |
Czech Republic | 138 (2018) | 73.7 (2017) |
Turkey | 107 (2018) | 74.6 (2017) |
Germany | 237 (2018) | 77.3 (2017) |
Ukraine | 77 (2018) | 69.2 (2017) |
Hungary | 108 (2018) | 71.1 (2017) |
Vatican City State | – | – |
Belarus | 47 (2018) | 78.1 (2017) |
Austria | 107 (2018) | 58.1 (2017) |
July 22 attacks
On July 22, 2011, Norway was hit by one of the worst terrorist attacks in modern European history. A car bomb went off in the Government Quarter in Oslo and a Norwegian terrorist attacked with firearms at AUF’s summer camp on Utøya in the Tyrifjord. A total of 77 were killed in the two attacks, carried out by the solo terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
IS-inspired terrorism
Despite individual attacks by the right-wing extremists, jihadist terrorist groups are considered the most dangerous threat to the West, and especially Western Europe. This is also linked to the negative developments in the Middle East, and the rise of the Islamic State (IS), which has attracted thousands of European foreign warriors.
In 2015, it became clear that IS has the intention and capacity to hit the West in terror attacks. On November 13, several targets in Paris, including the Bataclan concert arena, were attacked by IS-affiliated terrorists. A total of 129 people were killed in the attacks. IS has been behind a number of fatal attacks in 2016 and 2017 as well. On March 22, 2016, 32 people were killed in three bombings at the airport and the metro in Brussels. On July 14 of that year, on France’s National Day, 86 people were killed when a terrorist drove a truck into a crowd on the seafront in Nice.
IS-inspired terrorism continued in 2017, including attacks on the Westminster Bridge in London (March 22), the St. Petersburg Metro (April 3), a shopping street in Stockholm (April 7), a Manchester arena (May 22) and at London Bridge (June 3).
Terrorist attacks against Muslim targets from suspected anti-Islamic communities have also occurred. June 19, 2017, one person was killed and several injured when an attacker drove a car into a crowd at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London.
Overview of terrorist attacks
Overview of terrorist attacks in Western Europe since 2001. Only attacks with 2 or more killed have been included in the overview (perpetrators not included). Attacks that are particularly suitable for creating fear (such as failed suicide attacks, unusual execution methods such as decapitation or the like) have also been included in the overview.
DateSort | DescriptionSort | Number killedSort | Apparent motivationSort |
07.05.2003 | Shooting attack on Muslims in Brussels | 2 | Right-Extremism |
06/12/2003 | Obesity in Kandel, Germany | 2 | Right-Extremism |
11.03.2004 | More bombs against four trains during the rush hour in Madrid | 191 | jihadism |
02.11.2004 | Knife attack (and attempted decapitation) at filmmaker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam | 1 | jihadism |
07.07.2005 | Suicide attack against three subways and one bus in London | 52 | jihadism |
21.07.2005 | Suicide attack against three subways and one bus in London (copy of the 7/7 attack) | 0 | jihadism |
11.05.2006 | Shooting attacks against immigrants in Antwerp | 2 | Right-Extremism |
30.06.2007 | Suicide attack against Glasgow Airport. The perpetrators had tried to bomb nightclubs in London the day before | 0 | jihadism |
12/10/2009 | Attempted suicide attack against Italian military camp in Milan | 0 | jihadism |
11/12/2010 | Suicide attack in Stockholm | 0 | jihadism |
02/03/2011 | Shooting attack on bus with US soldiers at Frankfurt Airport | 2 | jihadism |
22/07/2011 | Bomb attacks on the Government Quarter in Oslo and shootings on Utøya | 77 | Right-Extremism |
13/12/2011 | Firing attacks on immigrants in Florence | 2 | Right-Extremism |
11.03.2012 | A series of shooting attacks on French soldiers and Jewish schoolchildren in southern France, March 11-19. | 7 | jihadism |
06/20/2013 | Attacks on pregnant Muslim woman in Paris | 2 | Right-Extremism |
05/22/2013 | Car and knife attack (decapitation) of a British soldier on the street in Woolwich, UK | 1 | jihadism |
05/24/2014 | Shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels | 4 | jihadism |
01/07/2015 | Shooting attack on the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo in Paris | 17 | jihadism |
02/14/2015 | Shooting attacks on Powdered Duck in Copenhagen | 2 | jihadism |
06/26/2015 | Car and knife attack (decapitation) at a gas plant in Lyon | 1 | jihadism |
10/22/2015 | Knife attack at school in Trollhättan in Sweden | 3 | Right-Extremism |
11/13/2015 | Firearms and suicide bombing attacks on Stade de France, Bataclan and several restaurants in Paris | 130 | jihadism |
03/22/2016 | Suicide attack at Zaventem Airport and a metro station in Brussels | 32 | jihadism |
06/13/2016 | Knife attack on a policeman and his wife in Paris | 2 | jihadism |
07/14/2016 | Truck attack on the beach promenade in Nice | 84 | jihadism |
07/26/2016 | Attacks with a knife (decapitation) and hostage action in a Normandy church | 1 | jihadism |
12/19/2016 | Truck attack on Christmas market in Berlin | 12 | jihadism |
03/22/2017 | Truck and knife attack on Westminister Bridge and London Parliament | 5 | jihadism |
04/07/2017 | Attack by truck on Drottning-street in Stockholm | 5 | jihadism |
05/22/2017 | Suicide attack at the concert venue in Manchester | 22 | jihadism |
03/06/2017 | Car and knife attacks on and at London Bridge | 8 | jihadism |
06/19/2017 | Car attack against Muslim crowd at London’s Finsbury Park Mosque | 1 | Right-Extremism |
Sources: Countryaah.com