Major Terrorism Events

-The Great Terror - Government power was used to kill those against the leaders. Many people believe the state violence should be categorised as terrorism from above

Stalin used his power to eliminate anyone against the government -this is another example of terrorism by the state

Black September seized Israeli athletes and demanded Palestinian prisoners be released. People were shocked at the terrorists' choice of kidnapping athletes - terrorists realised how to grab the world's attention by choosing the right targets.

Iran wanted to get rid of US influence in the Middle East. Militant group of Iranian students kidnapped 52 US citizens. It was not state sponsored but the Iranian government allowed it to stretch on. World began to see the benefit of state-sponsored terrorism

A car bomb was set off in the parking garages of one of the World Trade towers, in an attempt to make on tower collapse onto the other. This attempt failed. It was led by an Islamist terrorist group who were angered by the US' support for Israel.

Five members of Aum Shinrikyo let out poisonous gas different trains. 12 people died and 5,000 were injured. This was the first use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists

Hijacked planes flew into the two World Trade Center Towers, killing around 3,000. The attack was led by Al-Qaeda, and this event was a gamechanger. Fear for international terrorism increased, and the US' foreign policy was changed

A group of individuals detonated 10 explosives at rush hour in Madrid. They were retaliating against Spain's involvement in the 2003 Iraq war. 192 were killed and almost 2,000 wounded. The Spanish population were shocked, and voted for a new president who promised to get Spanish Troops out of Iraq

Chechen separatists held 1200 people hostage, 350 were killed and many wounded.
The Russian government reintroduced the death penalty, and security measures were heightened. Regional governors were appointed rather than elected.

A Somali-American killed around 20 civilians with a suicide bomb attack in a truck. He was the first US suicide bomber. The US feared that suicide bombs were know more likely to happen in the US.