Barcelona and Cambrils, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin and London – these are just some of the horrifying attacks which have taken 364 lives, severely injured victims, ripped families apart and left communities devastated in Europe over the past two years.
Each attack – committed by ruthless jihadis – has shocked and saddened the world, leaving people heartbroken and fearful about the future.
Streets are flocked to by emergency services, witnesses reveal the horror of climbing over bodies and desperately trying to save strangers and families launch campaigns to find their missing loved ones.
But despite the attackers attempting to scare people into not living their lives, the cities and communities come back fighting each time.
Messages of love and support pour in from around the globe, acts of heroism and kindness take place, emergency services battle to save lives and communities join together and stand in solidarity, refusing to be scared.
As people in Barcelona and Cambrils come together to mourn the lives lost in yesterday’s horrific attacks, they will, no doubt, receive love and support from strangers across the globe, as many other victims did in the previous attacks.
Below are a list of the terrorist attacks committed by jihadis in Europe over the past few years.
It comes after the Europol chief warned British tourists that they face highest threat in Europe for a generation, to be vigilant while visiting Spain, and said additional terror-related incidents were ‘likely’.
1.
The Bataclan, Paris – November 13, 2015
Three gunmen, wearing suicide vests, stormed the Bataclan theatre and shot audience members while American rock band Eagles of Death Metal performed. The killers fired at people randomly and took hostages. Police stormed the theatre and shot dead one attacker, while the other two detonated their suicide vests. 90 people died in the attack and more than 200 were wounded. That same evening, attackers shot and killed people at Le Carillon cafe and bar, Le Petit Cambodge, outside Café Bonne Bière and outside La Belle Équipe restaurants. A man, wearing a suicide vest, also detonated it at the Comptoir Voltaire café after placing his order. Thirty nine victims died and 42 were injured
2.
Brussels Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek metro station, Brussels – March 22, 2016
At 07:58 local time, two bombs were set off at opposite ends of the check-in area of Zaventem airport. Just over an hour later, a bomb was detonated inside a train carriage as it left the Maalbeek metro station. Thirty two people died and 340 were injured. Three bombers died
3.
Magnanville, Paris – June 13, 2016
A police commander and his partner were found dead outside his home in the Paris suburb of Magnanville. The French suspect Larossi Abballa declared his allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and threatened to kill non-believers. After killing the couple, Abballa posted a 12 minute monologue on Facebook Live, showing the crime scene before he was killed when police stormed the house
4.
Nice – July 14, 2016
A truck ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. IS claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who was living in France and was known to the police. He was shot dead by French police officers who were attempting to force him to stop the truck
5.
Munich – July 22, 2016
An 18-year-old gunman, who was not known to police, opened fire at a crowded shopping centre and fast-food restaurant in Munich, killing nine people and injuring 36, including children
6.
Ansbach in Bavaria, Germany – July 24, 2016
A suicide bomber injured 15 people when he blew himself up outside a music festival. The suspect, named by officials as 27-year-old failed asylum seeker Mohammad Daleel, 27, had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, had a history of mental illness and faced deportation to Bulgaria. The terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bloodshed was carried out by ‘one of the soldiers of the Islamic State’
7.
Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, Normandy – July 26, 2016
Two attackers killed 85-year-old parish priest Father Jacques Hamel with a blade and seriously wounded another hostage in a church in northern France before being shot dead by French police. The two hostage-takers had pledged allegiance to Islamic State. The men arrived as Fr Hamel was leading morning Mass in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, a working-class town near Rouen, north-west of Paris
8.
Christmas Market in Berlin – December 19, 2016
A truck ploughed into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 56 others. It was driven by Anis Amri, who rammed into shoppers before fleeing the scene. He was later killed in a shoot-out with Italian police in Milan four days later
9.
The Louvre museum, Paris – February 3, 2017
A machete-wielding man shouted ‘Allahu akbar’ and attacked French soldiers guarding the sprawling Louvre museum building. The suspect, who was shot four times, was later named by officials as Abdullah Reda Refaie al-Hamahmy, 28
10.
Orly Airport, Paris – March 18, 2017
A suspected Islamic extremist attacked a French soldier at Orly airport – shouting that he wanted to kill and die for Allah – and wrested away her assault rifle. Two colleagues on patrol at the airport shot and killed the man before he could fire the military-grade weapon in the busy terminal
11.
Westminster Bridge, London – March 22, 2017
Khalid Masood drove a hired car over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament, mounted the pavement and hit pedestrians before crashing into railings outside the Palace of Westminster. He stabbed Pc Keith Palmer to death and also killed US tourist Kurt Cochran, Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, plus Britons Aysha Frade, 44, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes. Masood was shot dead by police
12.
Stockholm – April 7, 2017
A stolen truck was rammed into a crowd in the Swedish capital, killing four people and wounding 15 others. A 39-year-old man confessed to the crime, his lawyer said. Police said Rakhmat Akilov was known to have been sympathetic to extremist organisations. Briton Chris Bevington, 41, who lived in Stockholm with his family and worked as a director with music streaming service Spotify, was among the victims
13.
Manchester arena – May 22, 2017
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a nail bomb at Manchester Arena as fans were leaving an Ariana Grande concert, killing himself and 22 others, including children
14.
Borough Market and London Bridge – June 3, 2017
Eight people were killed when three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before launching knife attacks on people enjoying a night out in Borough Market. The terrorists were shot dead by police
15.
Barcelona – August 17, 2017
A jihadi drove a van at 60mph through crowds of people through Barcelona’s famous Las Ramblas promenade, which was jam-packed with holidaymakers and locals, yesterday evening. Police confirmed 13 people died and more than 100 were injured and the victims are from at least 18 different countries, including Britain
16.
Cambrils – August 18, 2017
Seven people, including a policeman, were injured in the seaside town of Cambrils at 1am local time after terrorists, who were wearing fake suicide belts, ploughed an Audi A3 into people before it flipped over. Four people have been arrested in connection with the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks