Paris Terror Attacks Anniversary: Timeline Of Violent Year For Europe

A series of attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, left 130 people dead and hundreds injured. The attacks, which French President François Hollande described as an “act of war,” was organized by the Islamic State militant group. The shootings and suicide attacks targeted the Stade de France stadium, crowded streets that housed popular nightlife spots and the Bataclan concert hall.

A year since the attacks from the group also known as ISIS, Europe has witnessed multiple terror strikes, the latest being the stabbing of three police officers in Brussels by a Belgian man. Here is a timeline of the major terror attacks in Europe this year:

Paris police station attack, January: A man wielding a knife and wearing a belt lined with fake explosives was fatally shot when he entered a police station in the French capital crying out “God is great” in Arabic. The man was found in possession of a piece of paper that had an ISIS emblem and a claim of responsibility written in Arabic. The attack occurred on the anniversary of the deadly Charlie Hebdo attack that left 11 people dead in Paris.

Hanover police stabbing, February: A 15-year-old girl stabbed a policewoman in Germany possibly under ISIS orders. The teenager told authorities that she had travelled to Turkey and was in touch with “employees” of the militant group. Chat logs revealed that the girl described the Nov. 15 Paris attacks as her “favorite day… because our lions were in action in Paris.” The police officer was badly wounded in the attack.

Brussels bombings, April: Twin blasts at the Brussels airport and a metro station in city killed 32 people and left 340 injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks. The first strike at Brussels’ Zaventem airport occurred 7:58 local time (1:58 p.m. EST) when two explosions minutes apart ripped through the airport’s check-in area. A little over an hour after the airport attack, another explosion ripped through a three-carriage train at the Maelbeek metro station in the city centre.

French police commander stabbing, June: A French police commander was fatally stabbed outside their home in northwest Paris. The man behind the attack pledged allegiance to ISIS and also killed the commander’s wife while holding the couple’s son hostage. Authorities stormed the house killing the attacker and rescued the boy. The attacker was identified as 25-year-old Larossi Abballa, who already had a terrorism conviction. Hollande called the attack “incontestably a terrorist act” adding that the country was facing a terror threat “of a very large scale.”

Nice attack, July: Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian man, drove his lorry through a crowd in France’s Nice city killing 86 people and injuring 303 others. The crowd was watching a fireworks display part of France’s Bastille Day celebrations. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, according to its news agency Amaq, which reported: “He did the attack in response to calls to target the citizens of the coalition that is fighting the Islamic State.”

Würzburg Train Ax Attack, July: A 17-year-old Afghan refugee was killed by German police after he he attacked passengers on a train with an ax and a knife. Three of the victims were seriously injured, one suffered minor wounds and 14 were treated for shock. ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq said the teenager was an ISIS fighter.

Ansbach attack, July: A Syrian refugee blew himself up outside a wine bar in Germany’s Ansbach town injuring 15 people. The 27-year-old carried a backpack with the bomb in it but police were not clear if he intended to plant the bomb elsewhere or blow himself up. The man was denied asylum a year ago but was previously granted asylum in Bulgaria. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

France Church attack, July: Two attackers killed at 84-year-old priest and took four others hostage in a church in Rouen suburb in northern France. Both the attackers were shot dead by the police. Three hostages were rescued unharmed but one was seriously injured. The attackers claimed to be part of ISIS before they were shot. Hollande said the attackers had committed a “cowardly assassination” and reiterated that the country would fight the militant group “by all means.”

Belgian police machete attack, August: A 33-year-old Algerian injured two Belgian police officers in a machete attack in Charleroi city. He was shot by a third officer and died later at the hospital. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack calling the man one of the group’s soldiers.

“We must keep a cool head,” Prime Minister Charles Michel said. “We must avoid panic, of course – not give in to terror. That’s the trap that has been set for us.”

Brussels police stabbing, October: Three police officers were injured by a knife-wielding man in Brussels in what authorities described as “a potential terrorist attack.” The attacker, who was shot in the leg, was identified as Hicham D., a Belgian citizen. The attack occurred when world leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were attending a summit in the city hosted by the European Union to discuss aid for Afghanistan.