Severe terrorist attacks that shook the whole world

IndiaToday.in   New Delhi, Thursday, September 3, 2015

26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

The basic definition of Terrorism is an act designed to cause terror in the hearts of people. India and many other countries have been attacked many times by various terrorists groups. There have been many and if we start counting these attacks, the counting might never stop.

Let's look at 10 of the most dreadful terror attacks:

Wall Street Bombing
The Wall street attack in the Financial District of New York, happened on September 16, 1920. The attack killed over 30 people and injured more than 400. The attack also resulted in resulted in 2 million dollars in damages. A horse-drawn wagon containing 45 kilograms of dynamite with 230 kilograms of slugs detonated and instantly killing the brokers, clerks, messengers and stenographers working in the area and also destroyed the interior of the JP Morgan building. The crime was never solved.

King David Hotel Bombing
The attack on the King David Hotel happened on July 22, 1946. The attacks were carried out by the rebellious right-wing Zionist group, Irgun, against the British. The British Administrative Headquarters for Palestine, which was housed at the King David Hotel was bombed. 91 people from various nationalities were killed and 46 others were injured. The attack was considered to be the deadliest terrorist attack to occur during the British Mandate era from 1920 to 1948.

26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack
10 Fedayeen Terrorist entered in Mumbai from sea way bombed various places in Mumbai. The attack lasted for 4 days. Terrorists captured Nariman house, Hotel Taj and Hotel Oberoi Trident. Five more places that were targeted are Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital, Metro Cinema and a lane behind Times of India Office. The attack was conducted by Pakistan based militant organisation Lashkar-E-Taiba and mastermind was Hafiz Saeed. A total of 166 person died and 293 were injured in this attack which included Indian and Foreigners both.

Pan Am Flight 103The attack on a flight is also known as the Lockerbie Bombing. The attack took place on December 21, 1988 in a Pan Am transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport on its way to J.F.K. International Airport in New York. The Boeing exploded and killed all 243 passengers aboard as well as its 16 crewmembers before it crashed in Scotland. When it crashed, it killed 11 more on the ground. The investigation lasted for 3 years before Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi handed over 2 Libyan nationals for the attacks. Gaddafi also paid compensation to the victims' families.

Mumbai Bombings
13 bomb explosions shook the city of Mumbai in the year 1993. The assault resulted in the death of 270 civilians with 700 more wounded. It is said that the attack was organised by Dawood Ibrahim. The attack was said to be an act of revenge against the destruction of the Babri Masjid. These attacks were the deadliest in Indian history. The locations where the blasts took place were: Fisherman's Colony in Mahim causeway, Zaveri Bazaar, Plaza Cinema, Century Bazaar, Katha Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Sahar Airport, Air India Building, Hotel Juhu Centaur, Worli, Bombay Stock Exchange Building and Passport Office. 257 people died in this attack and 713 were injured. Yakub Memon, who had coordinated these attacks, was hanged on July 30, 2015.

Attack in Bentalha, Algeria
Also known as the Bentalha Massacre, this event happened on September 22 to 23, 1997. The attack took place when armed guerrillas stormed the village of Bentalha and killed 200 to 400 of its inhabitants. The assailants were armed with machine guns, machetes, and hunting rifles. The assailants went from house to house and slaughtering men, women, and children. The attack was claimed by the Armed Islamic Group.

Karachi Bombing
The Karachi bombing happened on October 18, 2007. The attacks when took place on the day when former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was welcomed in Pakistan after an 8-year self-imposed exile in Dubai and London. The blasts occurred during a motorcade on their way from the airport. The attacks resulted in the deaths of 20 policemen and 139 people. Most of the victims were members of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

2005 Delhi Serial Bomb BlastIn the year 2005, just two days before Diwali, a series of 3 bomb blast took place in the capital of India, Delhi. The blasts were conducted by Islamic Revolutionary Front. Two bombs were exploded in Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj markets. Third blast took place in a bus in Govindpuri. The conductor of the bus found an unidentified bag and started evacuating people from the bus. The attacks were more deadly in both the markets because it was Dhan Teras and most of thepeople were in the markets. In this attack, 63 people died and 210 person were injured.

9/11 Twin Tower AttacksIt is considered one of the most deadliest attacks in the history of the United States. On September 11, 2001, a succession of four coordinated attacks were launched by the al-Queda in the New York City and Washington D.C. Four planes were hijacked by 19 men. Two of the four planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, collided into the north and south towers of the New York City World Trade Center. The Twin towers collapsed within two hours of the attack. The third plane, American Flight 77, targeted the Pentagon in Virginia and the last one, United Airlines Flight 93 whose aim was the Capitol in D.C., crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The attack led to the deaths of 3,000 people.

2001 attack on the Indian Parliament
The attack happened on December 13, 2001. Five terrorists who belonged to the Lashkar-E-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad group attacked the Indian Parliament. All the terrorists were killed. It is said that the terrorists used fake stickers of the building and the Home Ministry to fool the security. The clash between the terrorists and Indian Police went on for few hours till all five militants were killed.

Source http://m.indiatoday.in/education/story/severe-terrorists-attacks/1/464174.html