Major Terror Acts of Al Qaeda in 21st Century
2004 Madrid Train Bombings
The bombing of the Madrid commuter train system, took place on March 11, 2004 exactly 911 days after the 9/11 attacks, Al-Qaeda was the suspected terrorist group.
2007 Algiers Bombings
On April 11, 2007 in Algiers two bombs exploded , one at the prime ministers office and the other at a police station. 33 people dead.
2008 Danish Embassy Bombing
On 2 June 2008 in Pakistan the Danish Embassy was bombed. A car bomb killed 6 people & injured several others. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the bombing, as a response to the 2005 publication of the Muhammed Cartoons.
2009 Little Rock Recruiting Office Shooting
On June 1, 2009, in US, Abdul hakim Mujahid Muhammad, opened fire from his vehicle on a US military recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas killing 1 & wounding 1 soldier. He stated that the act was “for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the world, and also a retaliation on US Military for killing Muslims in Afghanistan & Iraq” The suspect had 562 rounds of ammunition, homemade silencers, binoculars, and military books in his car.
2009 Northwest Airlines Flight 253
On 25th December 2009, there was an attempt to bomb the International Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit, USA. A passenger tried to set off plastic explosives sewn to his underwear but failed resulting in flames. A Dutch passenger tackled and restrained him as others put out the fire. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attempted bombing.
On Dec 28, President Obama called it an “attempted terrorist attack” and promised to “to use every element of our national power to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us, whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia..”. On the same day, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the attack & released photos of Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdumutalab, with the Al Qaeda banner in the background. On January 8, 2010, President Barack Obama declared “We are at war against Al-Qaeda.”
