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Case file

Islamic terrorism in Europe

"jihad" appeared 2 times in the opening in 2023. Today: absent from the opening. Memorial to the people killed in the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century.. Today: The years 2014–16 saw more people killed by Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe than all previous years combined, and the highest rate of attack plots per year..
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2020

Islamic terrorist attacks and plots in Europe Memorial to the people killed in the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century.1 Europol , which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since 2015. The 2020 TE-SAT outlines their definition of jihadism as a violent sub-current of Salafism , which rejects democracy and elected government in favour of "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts". Accoding to TE-SAT, jihadists aim to create an Islamic state governed exclusively by Islamic law , as interpreted by them.2 In the early 2000s, most of the Islamic terrorist activity was linked to Al-Qaeda and the plots tended to involve groups carrying out co-ordinated bombings.3 The deadliest attacks of this period were the 2004 Madrid train bombings , which killed 193 civilians (the deadliest Islamist attack in Europe), and the 7 July 2005 London bombings , which killed 52. There was a rise in Islamic terrorist incidents in Europe after 2014. The years 2014–16 saw more people killed by Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe than all previous years combined, and the highest rate of attack plots per year. Most of this terrorist activity was inspired by ISIL, and many European states have had some involvement in the military intervention against it . A number of plots involved people who entered or re-entered Europe as asylum seekers during the European migrant crisis , and some attackers had returned to Europe after fighting in the Syrian Civil War . The Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting in May 2014 was the first attack in Europe by a returnee from the Syrian war. While most earlier Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe were carried out by groups and involved bombs, most attacks since 2014 have been carried out by individuals using guns, knives and vehicles. A notable exception is the Brussels cell , which carried out two of the deadliest attacks of the period. The deadliest attacks of this period have been the November 2015 Paris attacks (130 killed), the July 2016 Nice truck attack (86 killed), the June 2016 Atatürk Airport attack (45 killed), the March 2016 Brussels bombings (32 killed), and the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing (22 killed).4 These attacks and threats have led to major security operations and plans such as Opération Sentinelle in France, Operation Vigilant Guardian and the Brussels lockdown in Belgium, and Operation Temperer in the United Kingdom. Quote: "Europe is currently in a new expansionist phase of this latest cycle of terror. [...] The Brussels Jewish Museum attack in May 2014 is the first incident of this new expansive phase".5 Islamic Terrorism in the West and International Migrations: The 'Far' or 'Near' Enemy Within? . Perspectives on Terrorism , volume 10, issue 6.6 Islamic Terrorism in the West and International Migrations: The 'Far' or 'Near' Enemy Within? . Danish Security and Intelligence Service . Gerningsmændene til angreb i Europa har i mange tilfælde været kendt af sikkerhedsmyndighederne i forvejen for at nære sympati for militant islamisme. Der har også været tilfælde, hvor personer gennemgik en meget hurtig radikalisering eller har haft psykiske eller andre personlige problemer. Perspectives on Terrorism , volume 10, issue 6.7

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Today
"jihad" appeared 2 times in the opening in 2023. Today: absent from the opening. Memorial to the people killed in the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century.. Today: The years 2014–16 saw more people killed by Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe than all previous years combined, and the highest rate of attack plots per year.. Read the current article and compare.
2020Oct '232025
terror111411
islamist354
jihad324
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Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.

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