The London Bridge terror attack of 2019 has left everyone in a state of shock. After 9/11, the type of terror attacks took a wide turn and threats coming from extremist groups and lone wolves became multifold. The attack on the twin towers changed the initial definitions of terrorism and terror attacks that existed in the twentieth century.
The island country has faced a lot of attacks in the past few years. The city of London alone has faced multiple strikes. There were certain attacks that happened in the UK that gained attention on the growing threats of extremist ideologies and islamophobia.
The London Bombings- July 2005
One of the deadliest attacks that took place in the UK that killed more than 50 UK citizens and other nationalities, including the bombers. Three bombs were detonated on the London Underground simultaneously, while one bomb went off inside a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square, London during the city's morning rush hour. The explosives were carried in a rucksack, therefore, it was undetectable.
The attack took place in four different locations and over 700 people were injured. The partial responsibility of the incident was taken by the Al- Qaeda and the motive was defined as religious extremism. The changes in the new era of technology let the public know of the incoming information of the attacks. The perpetrators were named Hasib Hussain, Mohammad Sidique Khan, Germaine Lindsay, Shehzad Tanweer.
The Westminister Attacks- March 2017
Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old Briton, drove a car into pedestrians outside the Westminister palace and crashed the grey Hyundai across the railings. Masood continued his killing spree by getting out of the vehicle and stabbing and injuring people.
He was then shot by the police. The motive was revenge for the western military intervention in the West Asian region. This was seen as a starting of the various attacks that happened in London over the year.
The Manchester Arena Bombings- May 2017
Salman Abedi made a homemade device filled with shrapnel and detonated the bomb in the lobby of the Manchester Arena killing 22 people and injuring several. The bombing took place during pop-star Ariana Grande's concert. This was also seen as a deadly attack with the youngest victim being an 8-year-old girl. The motive behind Abedi's suicide bombing was deduced to Religious Terrorism. Abedi's brother, Hashem Abedi was charged with 22 murders and for conspiring with his brother. He has denied these claims.
London Bridge-2017
Religious extremists drove a van into the pedestrians on London Bridge before getting out of the vehicle and running towards the Borough Market where they continued to stab people. The assailants were said to be a part of ISIL.
The attackers killed 8 people including police officers and injured 48. This raised the threat of religious terrorism and other terror-related threats to an all-time high in the UK.
Finsbury Attack- June 2017
In a lone wolf attack conducted by Darren Osborne an islamophobic, 12 people were injured and one killed. He drove his vehicle into the crowd leaving their Ramadan prayers from the Finsbury Park Mosque. He was caught and sentenced to 43 years in prison. It was deemed as a terrorist attack and that his intention was to kill.
Parsons Bombing- September 2017
Ahmed Hassan, 20-year-old, improvised a bomb and placed it inside the tube during the morning rush hour. This incident injured 22 people. Hassan was under foster care after arriving in the UK at the age of 16 in 2016. He was apprehended and was sentenced to prison for life.
London Bridge- November 2019
The level of threat due to terror attacks had gone down in the UK for the past two years. The recent attack was conducted by Usman Khan a 28-year-old man who was previously convicted for terror activities. This incident has placed the country in an SOS situation since Friday.
