List of knife attacks by Islamic extremists

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of knife attacks by Islamic extremists carried out by individuals or organizations against civilian populations or against military personnel not stationed in conflict zones. This list includes attacks where an edged melee weapon was used by Islamic extremists.

  • The perpetrator(s) are not included in the death tolls noted in this list.

2000s

Location Date Description Deaths Injuries
Netherlands 2 November 2004 Theo Van Gogh was shot, stabbed, and nearly beheaded on his way to work by Mohammed Bouyeri. 1 2
Totals: 1 2

2010s

Location Date Description Deaths Injuries
China 30 July 2011 An attack on Kashgar that spanned two days, in which Islamic extremists hijacked a truck, drove it into a crowd of people. They then got out of the truck and began to stab people. 14 42
Israel 29 August 2011 The 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack was a combined vehicular assault and stabbing attack. 0 8
Bangladesh 15 February 2013 Ahmed Rajib Haider was murdered by five members of the extremist organization Ansarullah Bangla Team. 1 0
United Kingdom 22 May 2013 Lee Rigby soldier of the British Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was run down with a car by two Islamic extremists, who then used knives and a cleaver to stab and hack him to death, claiming to be avenging the killing of Muslims by the British armed forces.[1] 1 0
France 25 May 2013 2013 La Défense attack Private first class Cédric Cordier was patrolling a busy underground hall in La Défense in uniform with two other servicemen when an Islamic radical approached Cordier from behind and attacked him with a knife. 0 1
Australia 23 September 2014 Numan Haider stabbed two counter-terrorism officers. Haider planned to behead Victoria Police officers, and drape their bodies in the IS flag.[2] 0 2
Jerusalem 10 November 2014 The 2014 Alon Shvut stabbing attack was a combined vehicular assault and stabbing attack. 1 2
United Arab Emirates 1 December 2014 A burqa-clad woman stabs a 47-year-old American teacher to death in a mall restroom in Abu Dhabi She later plants a bomb outside the home of an Egyptian-American doctor. [3][4] 1 0
France 20 December 2014 A man entered a police station in Tours, France shouting the Islamic takbir Allahu Akbar ("God is Great"), and proceeded to attack officers with a knife, injuring three before he was shot and killed. 0 3
Germany 17 September 2015 Rafik Y attacked and injured a police officer with a knife in Berlin.[5] 0 1
Israel 19 November 2015 An assailant approached the entrance of a Tel Aviv synagogue at prayer time, and stabbed and killed two worshipers. 2 1
United Kingdom 5 December 2015 2015 Leytonstone tube station attack suspect was reported to have declared, "This is for Syria, my Muslim brothers."[6] 0 3
United States 11 February 2016 In the 2016 Ohio restaurant machete attack, green card holder Mohamed Barry entered a restaurant owned by aan Israeli Christian and attacked people with a machete; lunging at police who gave chase with two knives while shouting "Allahu Akbar!"before he was shot and killed. 0 4
France 7 January 2016 In the Paris police station attack, asylum seeker Tarek Belgacem attacked police officers with a meat cleaver while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" before he was shot and killed. 0 0
Canada 14 March 2016 Montreal born, 27-year-old Ayanle Hassan Ali, stabbed several personnel inside a military recruitment Center in Toronto while shouting "Allah told me to do this. Allah told me to come here and kill people."[7] He has been judged mentally fit to stand trial.[8] 0 2 badly wounded, others hurt
UK 24 March 2016 Tanveer Ahmed shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed his victim in the Murder of Asad Shah 1 0
France 13 June 2016 A convicted jihadi cried "Allahu Akbar" and stabbed to death a policeman outside his home. Then he entered and slit the policeman's wife throat. 2 0
Germany 18 July 2016 An asylum seeker from Pakistan, who claimed to be an unaccompanied minor from Afghanistan, injured four people, two critically, with a knife and hatchet on a train 0 5
France 26 July 2016 Two Islamist terrorists attacked participants in a Mass at a Catholic church. Wielding knives and wearing fake explosive belts, the men took six people captive and later killed one of them. 1 1
United States 17 September 2016 In the St. Cloud, Minnesota mall stabbing, the perpetrator shouted "Allahu Akbar" 0 1 0
United States 28 November 2016 Ohio State University attack 0 11
Totals: 24 85


2020s

Location Date Description Deaths Injuries
Germany 23 August 2024 2024 Solingen stabbing. During a festival celebrating the 650th anniversary of Solingen, Germany, a Syrian man armed with a knife killed three people and injured eight others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. 3 8
Totals: 3 8


See also

References

  1. ^ "Woolwich machete attack leaves man dead". BBC News. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  2. ^ Silvester, John. "Melbourne terror shooting: Numan Haider 'planned to behead Victoria Police officers, drape bodies in IS flag'". Sydney Morning Herald. No. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. ^ Siobhan Fenton (13 July 2015). "Ibolya Ryan murder: UAE executes woman who murdered US teacher inside shopping mall". The Independent. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  4. ^ (Wam). "Terrorist ideologies guided mall murder suspect - Khaleej Times". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Cops shoot dead Islamic extremist in Berlin after he stabs policewoman in the street ", Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  6. ^ Morgan, Tom (7 December 2015). "Leytonstone Tube attacker left victim with 12cm neck wound and had "Syria material" on his mobile, court hears". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  7. ^ Hanna, Jason (15 March 2016). "'Allah told me to do this,' Toronto attack suspect allegedly said". CNN. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Ayanle Hassan Ali, accused in military centre stabbing, found fit to stand trial". CBC. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.