PARIS: The van attack that mowed down pedestrians on Barcelona's most famous street on Thursday killing at least 13 people was the latest fatal assault on a European city.
Here are some of the major attacks in Europe over the past two years:
- March 22, 2016: Suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State (IS) killed 32 people and injured 230 more at Brussels airport and Maelbeek metro station, near the EU headquarters. The attacks were led by an Islamic State cell that was also responsible for the carnage in Paris in November 2015.
- March 22, 2017: Five people died exactly a year after the Brussels attacks, when a man rammed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London and then fatally stabbed a police officer outside parliament. The attacker was shot dead by police.
- May 22, 2017: A bombing at a pop concert by US star Ariana Grande in the British city of Manchester killed 22 people including children. IS extremists claimed responsibility.
- June 3, 2017: A van rammed into a crowd on London Bridge, then the three assailants left the vehicle armed with knives and attacked people. Eight people were killed and around 50 wounded. Police shot dead the attackers. IS claimed responsibility.
- February 14, 2015: A gunman opened fire at a cultural centre in Copenhagen as it hosted a forum on Islam and free speech. A filmmaker was killed. Hours later another man was shot dead at the city's main synagogue. Police later killed the gunman, who had vowed allegiance to IS.
France has been the hardest hit among EU states, with 238 deaths.
- January 7, 2015: Two brothers who had vowed allegiance to Al-Qaeda gunned down 12 people at satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
The next day, a man linked to the IS group shot and killed a policewoman in a Paris suburb.
He took hostages at a Jewish supermarket just outside Paris the following day, killing four more.
All three gunmen were killed by police.
- November 13, 2015: France suffered its worst terror attack when 130 people died in a string of bombings and shootings at the Bataclan concert hall and several bars and restaurants in Paris, and at the Stade de France stadium. IS claimed responsibility.
- July 14, 2016: The national holiday, a man rammed a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice, killing 86 people. He was shot dead by police, and IS claimed responsibility.
In 2016-2017, there have been several attacks on members of the French police and security forces.
- December 19, 2016: A man hijacked a truck and ploughed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.
The attacker was shot dead by police in Milan four days later, and the rampage was claimed by IS.
- April 3, 2017: Five people were killed when a bomb ripped through an underground train in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg. A group suspected of links to Al-Qaeda claimed the attack, which was blamed on a Russian suicide bomber born in Kyrgyzstan.
- April 7, 2017: A truck ploughed into shoppers outside a busy department store in central Stockholm, killing five people including an 11-year-old girl. Police say an Uzbek suspect who was denied a residency permit in 2016 confessed.
- October 10, 2015: In the bloodiest attack in Turkey's history, 103 people were killed in twin suicide bombings targeting a pro-Kurdish rally in Ankara. Authorities blamed IS.
- January 1, 2017: An Uzbek gunman went on the rampage inside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, killing 39 people celebrating New Year, mainly Arab tourists.
The bloodshed was claimed by IS, the first clear claim it has made for an attack in Turkey, although a number of other bombings have been attributed to the jihadist group. -- AFP