Incidents of Mass Casualty Terrorism Part II

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston

10 August 2001--Rebels derail and attack a train 130 km southeast of Luanda, Angola. The train was derailed by a planted bomb and set on fire, after which Unita rebels attacked the train. At least 152 were reportedly killed and 146 injured. Fatalities: 152. 

11 September 2001--Four jetliners on domestic flights from northeastern U.S. airports were hijacked and crashed, three into buildings. Four or five hijackers aboard each aircraft used utility knives to subdue the crew, with a hijacker with flight training taking control of each aircraft. At 8:46 AM American Flight 11 was flown into floors 94 to 99 of the World Trade Center's north tower in New York City. At 9:03 AM United Flight 175 was flown into floors 78 to 84 of the Center's south tower. Both crashes resulted in fires which eventually weakened the towers' structural steel, causing the complete collapse of the south tower at 10:05 AM and the north tower at 10:28 AM. Most people not trapped by the fires had been evacuated from the towers at that point; however, hundreds of police officers and firefighters were in the towers. The World Trade Center collapse caused fires and/or collapses of several nearby buildings, particularly World Trade Center 7 at 5:20 PM.

      At 9:43 AM American Flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon in Alexandria, Virginia, causing a fire and partial collapse of a limited section at 10:10 AM. This killed 125 Pentagon personnel, injured 200, and killed all 64 aboard the aircraft, including 5 terrorists. The section of the Pentagon that was struck was being renovated, contributing to the low casualty count. Passengers on the fourth jetliner, United Flight 93, learned of these events via cellular phones and attacked the hijackers; this aircraft crashed into a field in Somerset county, south central Pennsylvania, killing all 45 aboard (including 4 terrorists), at 10:10 AM. The hijackers of this plane are believed to have intended to strike a site in Washington, DC, most likely the Capitol Building.

      Fatalities due to the Trade Center strikes remain uncertain at 2,759 dead; another 43 missing could not be conclusively linked to the World Trade Center site. These figures include 343 firefighters, 60 police officers, 158 aboard the two aircraft, and 2,235 workers and visitors at the Trade Center. Fatalities aboard the aircraft include 88 passengers and crew on American Flight 11, 60 passengers and crew on United Flight 175, and 5 terrorists on each plane. Total fatalities at the Trade Center site include several hundred citizens of foreign countries: 27 were foreign residents (11 of the UK); 568 were born abroad. Foreigners included individuals from the United Kingdom, India, Columbia, Pakistan, Israel, and Puerto Rico. Another 8,700 were injured, of whom 6,391 received treatment. The attacks were conducted by Al Qaeda with the operation overseen by Osama bin Laden. The United States subsequently assisted opposition forces in Afghanistan in the overthrown of its Taliban ruling party, which has sheltered Al Qaeda. Fatalities: 2,993. 

12 October 2002--A small homemade bomb exploded in front of a nightclub in Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali. A few seconds later, at 11:30 PM, a large bomb in a Jeep-like vehicle exploded in front of another nightclub 30 meters from the first bomb. The explosion severely damaged the nightclub and started a fire, causing gas cylinders inside the building to explode and the collapse of the remaining structure onto survivors. The fire spread to a nearby club and 20 other buildings. A few minutes after these explosions a bomb exploded near the American honorary consulate in Denpasar but caused no injuries. Fatalities were reported as 180 by 12 October, but eventually rose to 202 as additional victims died of injuries. This included 88 Australians (of which 3 were children), 38 Indonesians, 26 Britons, 9 Swedes, 7 Americans, 6 Germans, 4 Dutch, 3 Danes, 3 French, 3 Swiss citizens, 2 Canadians, 2 Japanese, 2 New Zealanders, 2 South Koreans, and 1 each from Brazil, Ecuador, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, and one other country. Another 350 were injured. In the following weeks, Indonesian authorities arrested members of a radical Islamist group, some of whom indicated that they had sought to target American tourists. Several of these individuals went to trial in May 2003. Fatalities: 202. 

26 October 2002--Many hostages and terrorists were killed during attempted rescue of hostages in the Nord-Ost theater in Moscow, Russia. On 23 October 41 Chechen terrorists stormed a theater during performance of a popular play, taking about 800 hostages, including 75 foreigners. About 100 people in the theater were able to escape in the first few minutes, but one woman was shot and killed by the terrorists and another person was injured. The terrorists demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya and released about 50 children and Muslim adults. One police officer was shot and killed during the standoff. The terrorists set a deadline at dawn 26 Oct. and killed two hostages as the deadline approached.

      Russian counterterrorist forces pumped an incapacitating gas (fentanyl) into the theater to induce unconsciousness before storming the theater shortly before the deadline. All the terrorists were shot and killed, but not before shooting and killing two more hostages. The fentanyl-based gas killed 124 hostages: some died immediately due to the combined effect of the gas with medical conditions or vomited and suffocated while unconscious; others died in hospitals over the next few days from complications including liver poisoning. Hostages killed included 9 non-Russians: 1 from Armenia, 1 from Austria, 1 from Azerbaijan, 1 from Belarus, 1 from Kazakhstan, 1 from the Netherlands, 2 from the Ukraine, and 1 from the U.S. In total, 129 hostages died and 653 were rescued. Of those rescued, 501 had been treated and released by 31 October; about 40 were seriously injured, but some were readmitted later.Fatalities: 170.

29 August 2003--At about 2:00 PM, twin car bombs exploded outside the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, killing 125 (although reports vary; some report only 83 to 94 killed). An estimated 700 kg of explosives was used, ordnance left over from the Hussein regime. Among those killed was Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a Shiite leader. About 500 were injured. Four men, two Saudis and two Iraqis, were arrested shortly after the explosion, and another 15 were arrested in the next two days, including 6 Palestinians and other foreigners; initial reports link those arrested to Al Quaeda. Fatalities: 125.

1 February 2004--At about 11:00 AM, two suicide bombings in Irbil, Iraq, killed 109 and injured at least 240. One attack struck a crowd outside the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the other struck the offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Each bombing was carried out by an individual with explosives strapped to his body.  Fatalities: 109.

21 February 2004--Terrorists attacked a refugee camp in northern Uganda, killing 239 and injuring 60. The group, the Lord's Resistance Army, drove off the camp's militia and then set fire to huts. Most of those killed were civilians hiding in huts set ablaze. Fatalities: 239.

27 February 2004--A bomb exploded on a ferry en route from Manila to Bacolod, Philippines, causing a fire. The bomb, a 4 kg of TNT planted inside a television, exploded shortly before 1:00 AM local time, about 2 hours into the voyage, while many passengers were sleeping. Of 900 people aboard, at least 118 were killed and 9 injured. The Abu Sayyaf group claimed responsibility; the group had previously demanded $1 million in protection money from the shipowners. The Philippine government initially attributed the fire to accidental causes. Two group members were arrested in March, and four others were later arrested. The government did not acknowledge a bombing as the source of the fire until November. Fatalities: 118. 

2 March 2004--Multiple suicide bombings at two locations in Iraq killed 188 and injured 430 (casualty figures remain uncertain, with reported fatalities ranging from 140 to 271), in both cases at about 10:00 AM. Three suicide bombers attacked a shrine at Kadhimiya, a suburb of Baghdad, killing 67 and injuring 200. Another suicide bomber struck a shrine in Karbala, killing 121 and injuring 230. Crowds celebrating the Shia festival of Ashura were targeted in both locations. The attacks may have involved the participation of individuals from Iran. Between 29 and 40 of those killed were Iranian pilgrims. Fatalities: 188.

11 March 2004--Multiple bombings on trains in Madrid, Spain, killed 191 and injured 1,876 during morning rush hour. At 7:39 AM four bombs exploded on a train approaching Atocha station, killing at least 59, while three bombs exploded on a train inside the station, killing at least 30. Two bombs exploded on a double-decker train at El Pozo station at 7:41 AM, killing at least 70. At 7:43 AM one explosion on a train at Santa Eugenia station killed at least 17. Police defused three more bombs hidden in backpacks. Reported figures included 192 dead as of 12 March; one infant died of injuries on 12 March and one person on 13 March. The death toll was revised from 202 to 190 on 23 March, and rose to 191 in early April; of those, 13 died in hospitals of wounds. Those killed included 47 foreign citizens, including 8 from Romania, 5 from Ecuador, 4 from Poland, 3 from Columbia, 3 from Peru, 3 from Morocco, 2 from the Dominican Republic, 2 from Honduras, and 1 each from Bulgaria, France, Cuba, Chile, and Guinea. Some authorities quickly blamed Basque seperatists, although such an attack is inconsistent with their past actions. However, a few days later five foreigners were arrested in connection to the attacks. Fatalities: 191.

24 June 2004--Multiple bombings in Iraq killed 103 and injured 324. In Mosul at least four car bombs exploded at targets including the Wadi Hajar police station and location in the al-Wakhas district. Terrorists also engaged in gun battles in Mosul. Other targets there included the Iraqi policy academy, a second police station, and the al-Jumhuri hospital. One U.S. soldier was killed and others injured. In Baquba near Baghdad armed men attacked a police station with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. Casualties there numbered 13 killed and 15 wounded (including 2 U.S. soldiers killed and 7 injured). A similar attack on a police station in Ramadi killed 7 and injured 13; additional groups of terrorists attacked other targets there and in Falluja killing 13 and injuring 2. A U.S. Cobra helicopter was shot down in Falluja but there were no casualties. In Baghdad proper a car bomb killed 8 and injured 13; those killed included 4 members of Iraq's national guard. Fatalities: 103.

3 September 2004--A standoff involving hundreds of hostages held by Chechen terrorists at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia, ended with heavy casualties. On 1 September at 8:30 AM about 32 terrorists (reportedly Chechens and at least 10 Arabs) burst into Beslan School Number One at the conclusion of ceremonies opening the school year and opened fire in the school courtyard. One male parent and one terrorist were killed during the takeover. About 1,181 hostages, including about 855 children, about 60 teachers, and about 266 parents and others, were forced into the school gymnasium. Adults were then forced to extract explosives and weapons placed under the gymnasium's floor during the summer. At 10:50 AM the terrorists threatened to blow up the school if it were stormed, placing children at windows as human shields. Two cars that approached the school were attacked with grenade launchers; at least one driver was killed. About 12 adult males were taken to the second floor and shot, with one more escaping with injuries by jumping out a window. Another person was killed outside the school and two died in hospitals. About 8 were killed, including injured hostages taken from the gymnasium and shot (one child and the remainder adults). Reportedly at some point during the day two female terrorists blew themselves up in school hallways, killing a number of male hostages; other information suggests that the group's leader remotely detonated the two terrorists explosives to deal with dissent among the terrorists. The terrorists requested a specific negotiator with whom they talked from 12:30 AM to 2:00 AM on 2 Sept., when the terrorists ended negotiations. The terrorists negotiated with a former president of Ingushetia region at noon and released 30 women and children at 3:40 PM. The terrorists refused to accept food and water for the hostages, however, who resorted to drinking urine while massed in the gymnasium; many suffered heat exhaustion and removed most clothing.
      The morning of 3 Sept. the terrorists agreed to allow an emergency vehicle to remove bodies of those killed two days earlier, and about noon the vehicle approached the school. As the vehicle was withdrawing, a bomb in the gym fell and exploded, prompting the terrorists to shoot and kill two emergency workers outside. Some hostages fled the building, drawing fire from the terrorists. Russian troops and local civilians fired on the terrorists, with disorganization among the latter group. The terrorists detonated their explosives with at least two explosions at 12:05 PM partially collapsing the gymnasium's roof and a wall. Dozens of hostage deaths resulted from the roof collapse. At 12:14 PM about 30 hostages escaped the school, including injured children. Some terrorists began trying to escape at 12:46 PM, and another explosion occurred at 12:53 PM. Troops entered the school around 1:00 PM, and hundreds of hostages fled with terrorists continuing to shoot at them, producing many injuries. At 1:40 PM troops blasted a hole in a wall to assist evacuation of the burning school building. Some terrorists escaped, including some who took hostages in a house. The school was reported clear of hostages by 2:15 PM, and at 2:25 PM troops attacked a house where 13 terrorists were believed hiding. Explosions and gunfire continued near and within the school to at least 4:05 PM. Most terrorists were killed in gunfire (two were killed by crowds of civilians), but some were still firing from the school around noon and at least three were hidden in the school's basement at 2:50 PM with child hostages. At 8:00 PM some children were still being held hostage.
      

Operations were declared over at 10:40 PM, with at least one terrorist captured alive and 30 terrorists killed; some reports claim 3 escaped. Final reports of the number killed include 336 civilian hostages (of whom 16 died in hospitals); this includes 156 children, 19 teachers, and 161 other adult hostages, mostly parents and other relatives. In addition 2 police officers and 11 soldiers were killed. Reported injuries numbered 727 hostages, about 18 soldiers, and at least 2 police officers. Those hospitalized peaked at 704 (including over 336 children). One survivor committed suicide shortly after 3 Sept., and another committed suicide in early 2005. The school attack followed suicide bombings of two airliners flying from Moscow on 25 Aug., which killed 90, and a suicide bombing in Moscow on 31 Aug. which killed 10.  Fatalities: 366.

28 February 2005--A suicide car bombing occurred at 9:30 AM outside a medical clinic in Hilla, Iraq, killed 135. The car was driven by a suicide bomber and detonated near a clinic where hundreds of people were awaiting medical exams for government jobs, including police jobs. Most of the casualties were among these people, although casualties also occurred in a nearby market area. Early reports indicated 125 killed, with the death toll later rising to 135. At least 125 were injured.  Fatalities: 135.

(Note: a stampede on 31 August 2005 at a Baghdad, Iraq, bridge during a religious gathering killed 965; the reports of a suicide bomber which started the stampede were false. )

14 September 2005--Multiple attacks in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 182 and injured 679. Terrorists invaded homes in Taji before dawn, dragged people into the street, and shot 17 to death. In the Kadhimiya district about 6:30 AM a suicide bomber driving a van attracted a group of mostly Shia workers with the promise of employment, then blew up the vehicle, killing 114 and injuring at least 160. Later that morning in Adhmaiya, Badhdad, gunmen killed 4 police officers. Rescuers responding to this attack were struck by a suicide car bomber which killed 3 Iraqi soldiers and 4 police officers. About 10:00 AM a suicide bomber struck a convoy in west Baghdad, killing 3 soldiers. About 10:10 AM a suicide bomber attack in Shula, northwest Baghdad, killed 4 civilians and injured 22. At 1:22 PM an explosion occurred in downtown Baghdad, possibly targeting a US military convoy; a subsequent exchange of gunfire with terrorists injured 14 Iraqi police officers. About 2:00 PM two police stations in western Baghdad were attacked by gunmen, injuring 3 police officers. A mortar attack in eastern Baghdad killed one civilian in a car. A shooting attack killed an Iraqi army officer and injured one civilian in southern Baghdad. At 9:55 PM a mortar attack on a market killed 2 and injured over 50. A suicide bomber attacked a US Humvee in eastern Baghdad, injuring 2 US soldiers. Another suicide bomber attack during the day failed to cause injuries.  Fatalities: 182. 

Source: [Upon request]