ISIS Timeline Of Major Attacks Since The Caliphate In Iraq And Syria Was Formed

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Paris, where 129 people were killed and more than 350 were injured. The coordinated attacks indicate that the group is a well-organized and well-equipped force that can hit major cities in Europe and cause significant damage. Previously, ISIS expanded outside of Iraq and Syria by relying on attacks by local gunmen in other regions. Many of these attackers claimed to be acting on behalf ISIS, but were not actual members.

“This was choreographed,” said Patrick M. Skinner, a former CIA operations officer now with the Soufan Group, a security consultancy, the New York Times. “The fact that they could do this, especially in Paris, where the intelligence service is really good, clearly there’s a hole somewhere.”

According to data recently collected by the New York Times, there have been 51 attacks directly linked to ISIS since Sept. 2014. Around 40 of those attacks took place in the Middle East, while six took place in the West. The data also showed more than 30 arrests before an attack was able to take place.

September 2014: Islamic militants kidnapped and beheaded a tourist not long after the Islamic State issued a call to arms for its supporters to harm Europeans in retaliation for airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. (Algeria)

October 2014: A Muslim convert in Canada shot and killed a soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa and then stormed Canada's Parliament, firing multiple times before authorities killed him. (Canada)

December 2014: A gunman seized 17 hostages in a Sydney cafe. He later said he was acting on behalf of ISIS. (Australia)

January 2015: A video surfaced of one of three gunmen who attacked the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, declaring allegiance to ISIS. The attacks killed 12 people and injured 11. (France)

January 2015: Belgian police conduct 12 raids across the country to prevent "imminent" attacks. Officers killed two men they said were part of an ISIS cell after coming under fire. (Belgium)

January 2015: The terror group's Tripoli affiliate killed at least eight people during an armed assault of a hotel in Libya. (Libya)

January 2015: ISIS' Sinai affiliate killed 24 soldiers, six police officers and 14 civilians during coordinated bombing attacks. (Egypt)

February 2015: ISIS soldiers were suspected of killing 12 people, including four foreigners, in an attack on an oil field. (Libya)

February 2015: A Danish-born gunman, who said he was inspired by ISIS, killed two strangers and wounded five police officers during a violent rampage in Copenhagen. (Denmark)

February 2015: Two men living in Brooklyn were arrested and charged with plotting to fight for the terror group. Another person was charged with helping fund their activities. (U.S.)

March 2015: ISIS claimed responsibility for killing 22 people, mostly European tourists, at a museum. (Tunisia)

March 2015: Suicide strikes on Zaydi Shiite mosques killed more than 130 people. An ISIS affiliate claimed responsibility. (Yemen)

April 2015: ISIS killed 13 people with simultaneous car bombs at military checkpoints throughout the country. (Libya)

April 2015: Militants killed at least 12 people in separate attacks on the Egyptian military. (Egypt)

April 2015: An affiliate of ISIS in Yemen released a video showing the killing of 15 government soldiers . (Yemen)

May 2015: Two men opened fire in a Dallas suburb outside a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest. Both reportedly supported ISIS and were later acknowledged by ISIS as "soldiers of the caliphate." (U.S.)

May 2015: A suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a Shiite mosque during midday prayers in Saudi Arabia killing at least 21 and injuring more than 100. (Saudi Arabia)

June 2015: A militant branch claimed responsibility for a series of car bombings in Yemen's capital, killing at least 30 people. (Yemen)

June 2015: A gunman at a Mediterranean resort killed 40 people at a hotel in Tunisia. Most of the victims were British tourists. (Tunisia)

July 2015: An ISIS-affiliated group killed dozens of soldiers in coordinated attacks on Egyptian Army posts and other security buildings in the Sinai Peninsula. (Egypt)

July 2015: A Turkish citizen with ties to ISIS killed 32 people at a cultural center. (Turkey)

August 2015: ISIS claimed responsibility for the deaths of more than 15 people, including 12 members of a the Saudi Arabian police force. (Saudi Arabia)

September 2015: Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for killing at least 20 people in suicide bombing attacks at a mosque in Sana'a. (Yemen)

September 2015: Twenty-five people were killed when bombs went off near a mosque during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. (Yemen)

October 2015: A Russian passenger jet blew up over Egypt killing all 224 people on board. ISIS said it was responsible. (Egypt)

November 2015: The terror group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least 43 people in Beirut. (Lebanon)

November 2015: In its most ambitious hit on Western society yet, the Islamic State killed 129 people at several locations across Paris. (France)