Major events: Attacks directed by/linked to ISIS Attacks inspired by ISISArrests of suspected ISIS militants or supporters
CANADA
Outlined countries are where ISIS is conducting regular military operations.
FRANCE
UNITED STATES
SYRIA
AFGH.
IRAQ
MOROCCO
PAKISTAN
ALGERIA
LIBYA
EGYPT
SAUDI ARABIA
BANGLADESH
YEMEN
NIGERIA
MALAYSIA
Countries in yelloware where ISIS has declared provinces.
AUSTRALIA
Days after the Islamic State called for attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, terrorists targeted sites in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, leaving a bloody toll on three continents. The group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in one of the largest Shiite mosques in Kuwait City during Friday prayers, but it is unclear if the militants are also responsible for the attacks in Tunisia and France.
The group’s declaration of a caliphate, or Islamic state, last June marked the launch of its global strategy, which has resulted in attacks or arrests in more than a dozen countries. ISIS is focused on three parallel tracks:
- inciting regional conflict with attacks in Iraq and Syria;
- building relationships with jihadist groups that can carry out military operations across the Middle East and North Africa;
- and inspiring, and sometimes helping, ISIS sympathizers to conduct attacks in the West.
“The goal,” said Harleen Gambhir, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, “is that through these regional affiliates and through efforts to create chaos in the wider world, the organization will be able to expand, and perhaps incite a global apocalyptic war.”
Beginning last fall, ISIS made repeated calls for attacks on the West, especially to followers in countries taking part in the American-led airstrike campaign in Iraq and Syria. So-called lone wolves have responded to these calls with relatively low-tech assaults — shootings, hostage takings, hit-and-runs — that tend to get a lot of attention.
The Queens man was arrested after a monthslong investigation found that he was planning to attack various New York City landmarks on behalf of the Islamic State, according to the authorities.
“Al Qaeda always wanted to do spectacular attacks, but ISIS has reversed it,” said Patrick M. Skinner, a former C.I.A. operations officer now with the Soufan Group. “They don’t do spectacular attacks. They do attacks that generate spectacular reaction.”
ISIS Declares Provinces Across the Region
SYRIA
AFGH.
IRAQ
LIBYA
PAKISTAN
ALGERIA
SAUDI
ARABIA
EGYPT
YEMEN
NIGERIA
Countries where ISIS
has declared provinces
ISIS activity across the Middle East and North Africa has also surged. The group declared official provinces — or wilayat — in areas of Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen that had networks loyal to ISIS, many of which have adopted the organization’s signature brutality.
It is an “open question” to what extent the core leadership of ISIS is communicating with its affiliates, Mr. Skinner said. While ISIS is providing support to some groups, there is no hard evidence that it is able to direct the activities of a regional wilayat as part of a cohesive campaign.
But Ms. Gambhir noted that a recent rocket attack on a multinational force in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt may be a sign that ISIS is seeing its abilities mature. The attack could be seen as part of a larger strategy to fracture the American-led airstrike coalition.
“We haven’t assessed yet if that’s an intentional orchestration by ISIS,” Ms. Gambhir said. “We're on heightened alert to look for things like that because it would indicate a new level of capability for the organization.”
Major ISIS Attacks and Arrests Since Last Summer
Attacks directed by/linked to ISIS Attacks inspired by ISIS Arrests of suspected ISIS militants or supporters
Descriptions of the Major Attacks and Arrests
| Date | Location | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 26, 2015 | Tunisia | At least one gunman disguised as a vacationer attacked a Mediterranean resort,killing at least 38 people at a beachfront hotel — most of them British tourists — before he was shot to death by the security forces. MORE » | |
| June 26 | Kuwait | A suicide bomber detonated explosives at one of the largest Shiite mosquesin Kuwait City during Friday Prayer. MORE » | |
| June 17 | Yemen | An ISIS branch claimed responsibilty for a series of car bombings in Sana, the capital, that killed at least 30 people. MORE » | |
| June 13 | New York | A college student in Queens was charged with conspiring to support a foreign terrorist organization after an investigation found he was planning to attack various New York City landmarks on behalf of ISIS. MORE » | |
| June 11 | Massachusetts | Two men were charged in Boston with conspiring to help ISIS. A third man was fatally shot the previous week by law enforcement officials who said he had threatened them with a large knife. MORE » | |
| June 9 | Egypt | ISIS's Sinai province claimed responsibility for firing rockets toward an air base used by an international peacekeeping force. | |
| June 3 | Afghanistan | ISIS is suspected of beheading 10 members of the Taliban. MORE » | |
| May 31 | Libya | A suicide bomber from an ISIS affiliate killed at least four Libyan fighters at a checkpoint. MORE » | |
| May 29 | Saudi Arabia | One week after a similar attack in the same region, a suicide bomber dressed in women’s clothing detonated an explosive belt near the entrance to a Shiite mosque, killing three people. MORE » | |
| May 22 | Yemen | ISIS claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on a Shiite mosque that injured at least 13 worshipers. | |
| May 22 | Saudi Arabia | In what appeared to be ISIS's first official claim of an attack in Saudi Arabia, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive at a Shiite mosque during midday prayer, killing at least 21 and injuring 120. MORE » | |
| May 3 | Texas | Two men who reportedly supported ISIS and were later acknowledged by ISIS as "soldiers of the caliphate" opened fire in a Dallas suburb outside a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest. MORE » | |
| April 30 | Yemen | One of ISIS's Yemen affiliates released a video showing the killing of 15 Yemeni soldiers. | |
| April 28 | Saudi Arabia | Saudi authorities announced they had arrested 65 people accused of forming a terrorist organization related to ISIS. | |
| April 26 | Malaysia | Malaysian authorities arrested 12 men charged with plotting attacks in greater Kuala Lumpur. | |
| April 19 | Libya | ISIS released a video of militants from two of its Libya affiliates killing dozens of Ethiopian Christians, some by beheading and others by shooting. | |
| April 19 | Minnesota | Six young men from the Somali-American community in Minneapolis werearrested in connection with a plot to join ISIS. MORE » | |
| April 18 | Australia | The Australian police arrested five men who they said were inspired by ISIS and planning terrorist attacks. | |
| April 13 | Morocco | Moroccan authorities arrested five members of an ISIS-linked cell who were allegedly planning an attack in the Netherlands. | |
| April 12 | Libya | ISIS's Tripoli affiliate claimed credit for a bomb that exploded outside the Moroccan Embassy. | |
| April 12 | Egypt | ISIS militants killed at least 12 people in three separate attacks on Egyptian security forces. MORE » | |
| April 12 | Libya | ISIS's Tripoli affiliate claimed responsibility for an attack on the South Korean Embassy that killed two local police officers. MORE » | |
| April 8 | Saudi Arabia | Gunmen opened fire on a police patrol, killing two officers. | |
| April 5 | Malaysia | Malaysian authorities arrested 17 alleged ISIS supporters suspected of planning attacks in Kuala Lumpur. | |
| April 5 | Libya | ISIS killed at least four people in an attack on a security checkpoint. | |
| April 4 | Afghanistan | The Afghan vice president accused ISIS of kidnapping 31 civilians in February. | |
| April 2 | Egypt | Sinai's ISIS affiliate killed 13 people with simultaneous car bombs at military checkpoints. MORE » | |
| March 26 | Illinois | Federal authorities arrested an Army National Guardsman who they say tried to travel to Libya to fight on behalf of ISIS and was helping his cousin plot an attack on an American military base. MORE » | |
| March 22 | Morocco | Moroccan authorities arrested 13 people in nine cities linked to ISIS. | |
| March 20 | Yemen | An ISIS affiliate claimed responsibility for coordinated suicide strikes on Zaydi Shiite mosques that killed more than 130 people during Friday Prayer. MORE » | |
| March 20 | Tunisia | Tunisian authorities intercepted an ISIS cell that planned to set off car bombsin multiple cities across the country. | |
| March 18 | Tunisia | ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on a museum that killed 22 people, almost all European tourists. MORE » | |
| March 17 | New Jersey | An Air Force veteran recently fired from his job as an airplane mechanic was charged with trying to support ISIS by seeking to join the group. MORE » | |
| March 13 | Saudi Arabia | Saudi authorities detained two people allegedly planning an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh. | |
| Feb. 25 | New York | Two men living in Brooklyn were charged with plotting to fight for ISIS. A third was charged with helping organize and fund their activities. MORE » | |
| Feb. 20 | Libya | ISIS's Derna affiliate claimed responsibility for three car bombs that killed at least 40 people. MORE » | |
| Feb. 15 | Libya | ISIS released a video that appeared to show its militants in Libya beheading a group of Egyptian Christians who had been kidnapped in January. MORE » | |
| Feb. 15 | Denmark | A Danish-born gunman who was inspired by ISIS went on a violent rampage in Copenhagen, killing two strangers and wounding five police officers. MORE » | |
| Feb. 3 | France | French counterterrorism officers arrested eight people in the northern suburbs of Paris and in the area of the city of Lyon suspected of being part of a networkrecruiting people to fight in Syria. MORE » | |
| Feb. 3 | Libya | ISIS militants were suspected of killing 12 people, including four foreigners, in an attack on an oil field. MORE » | |
| Jan. 29 | Egypt | ISIS's Sinai affiliate claimed responsibility for coordinated bombings that killed 24 soldiers, six police officers and 14 civilians. MORE » | |
| Jan. 27 | Libya | ISIS's Tripoli affiliate claimed credit for an armed assault on a luxury hotelthat killed at least eight people. It was the deadliest attack on Western interests in Libya since the assault on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi.MORE » | |
| Jan. 24 | Spain | The police arrested four men in Ceuta, a Spanish territory bordering Morocco, who were suspected of belonging to an ISIS cell and may have been planning an attack in Spain. MORE » | |
| Jan. 23 | Lebanon | ISIS attacked an outpost of the Lebanese Armed Forces. | |
| Jan. 20 | France | The counterterrorism police raided the southern town of Lunel and arrested five people suspected of being part of a group that had been recruiting people to join militants fighting in Syria. MORE » | |
| Jan. 19 | Bangladesh | Bangladeshi authorities arrested four people who said they were with ISIS andwanted to form a caliphate and attack the government. | |
| Jan. 18 | Israel | Court documents revealed that eight Arab citizens of Israel were charged withsupporting and trying to join ISIS. MORE » | |
| Jan. 16 | Germany | Police officers in Berlin raided 12 locations to detain five Turks — three of whom were later released — on suspicion of recruiting, financing and helping Turkish and Chechen fighters get to Syria. MORE » | |
| Jan. 15 | Belgium | The Belgian police conducted a dozen raids across the country to prevent "imminent" attacks. Officers killed two men they said were part of an ISIS cell after coming under fire during a raid in Verviers. MORE » | |
| Jan. 14 | Ohio | A Cincinnati man was charged with a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol. In May, the Justice Department charged him with the additional crime of trying to provide material support to ISIS. MORE » | |
| Jan. 13 | Morocco | Moroccan authorities arrested dozens of individuals for supporting ISIS or operating ISIS recruitment cells. | |
| Jan. 12 | Libya | ISIS's Tripoli affiliate said they were holding 21 Egyptian Christians captive.MORE » | |
| Jan. 11 | France | A video surfaced of Amedy Coulibaly, one of three gunmen who attacked the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, declaring allegiance to ISIS. MORE » | |
| Dec 15, 2014 | Australia | A gunman who said he was acting on ISIS's behalf seized 17 hostages in a Sydney cafe. MORE » | |
| Nov. 22 | Saudi Arabia | A Danish executive was shot in his car. A group of ISIS supporters later claimed responsibility. | |
| November | West Bank | Israeli security services broke up a Palestinian cell identified with the Islamic State in the West Bank city of Hebron. MORE » | |
| Oct 23 | New York | A hatchet-wielding man charged at four police officers in Queens. ISIS said the attack was the “direct result" of its September call to action. MORE » | |
| Oct 22 | Canada | An Islamic convert shot and killed a soldier who was guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa, stormed Canada's parliament and fired multiple times before being shot and killed. MORE » | |
| Oct 20 | Canada | A 25-year-old man who had recently adopted radical Islam ran over two soldiers near Montreal, killing one. MORE » | |
| Sept. 24 | Algeria | Militants kidnapped and beheaded a French tourist shortly after the Islamic State called on supporters around the world to harm Europeans in retaliation for airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. MORE » | |
| Sept. 23 | Australia | An 18-year-old ISIS sympathizer was shot dead after stabbing two counterterrorism officers outside a Melbourne police station. MORE » | |
| Sept. 18 | Australia | A man arrested during a series of counterterrorism raids was charged with conspiring with an ISIS group leader in Syria to behead a random person in Sydney. MORE » |
