List of terrorist incidents in 2008
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This is a timeline of incidents in 2008 that have been labelled as "terrorism" and are not believed to have been carried out by a government or its forces (see state terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism).
Guidelines
- To be included, entries must be notable (have a stand-alone article) and described by a consensus of reliable sources as "terrorism".
- List entries must comply with the guidelines outlined in the manual of style under MOS:TERRORIST.
- Casualties figures in this list are the total casualties of the incident including immediate casualties and later casualties (such as people who succumbed to their wounds long after the attacks occurred).
- Casualties listed are the victims. Perpetrator casualties are listed separately (e.g. x (+y) indicate that x victims and y perpetrators were killed/injured).
- Casualty totals may be underestimated or unavailable due to a lack of information. A figure with a plus (+) sign indicates that at least that many people have died (e.g. 10+ indicates that at least 10 people have died) – the actual toll could be considerably higher. A figure with a plus (+) sign may also indicate that over that number of people are victims.
- If casualty figures are 20 or more, they will be shown in bold. In addition, figures for casualties more than 50 will also be underlined.
- Incidents are limited to one per location per day. If multiple attacks occur in the same place on the same day, they will be merged into a single incident.
- In addition to the guidelines above, the table also includes the following categories:
- 0 people were killed/injured by the incident.
- 1–19 people were killed/injured by the incident.
- 20–49 people were killed/injured by the incident.
- 50–99 people were killed/injured by the incident.
- 100+ people were killed/injured by the incident.
January–April
Total incidents: 10
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3
January |
5 | 110 | Diyarbakır, Turkey | See 2008 Diyarbakır bombing |
| 14 January | ≈6 | ≈6 | Kabul, Afghanistan | A suicide bomber killed six at the Kabul Serena Hotel.[1] |
| 16 January | 30 | 65 | Buttala, Sri Lanka | A civilian bus was bombed, and the fleeing passengers were gunned down and the fleeing gunmen also attacked farmers, killing at least 30 people.[2][3] The Sri Lankan government claimed that the gunman belonged to LTTE. |
| 18 January | 4 | 4 | Hadhramaut Governorate, Yemen | Gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists, killing two Belgian women, their Yemeni driver and a Yemeni man believed to be a tourist guide. Belgian tourist and a Yemeni were wounded in the incident. Al-Qaida suspected.[4] |
| 29 January | 2 | 23 | Thénia, Boumerdès Province, Algeria | Suicide bomber drove and detonated a vehicle on a police headquarters, killing several policemen. Al-Qaida suspected.[5] |
| 1 February | 0 | 3 | Nouakchott, Mauritania | Unidentified gunmen opened fire on Israel's embassy, wounding three French nationals[6] |
| 11 February | ≈25 | ≈40 | Balad, Iraq | Car bomb. See 2008 Balad bombing.[7] |
| 6 March | 0 | 0 | New York City, United States | A bomb exploded outside an empty military recruiting station in Times Square.[8] |
| 6 April | 15 | 90 | Weliveriya, Sri Lanka | See 2008 Weliveriya bombing |
| 12 April | 13 | ~200 | Shiraz, Iran | A bomb exploded inside the Shohada Hosseiniyeh mosque at around 9 pm during a sermon by a cleric well known for criticism of Wahhabism and of the Baháʼí Faith. Tehran blamed Western-backed monarchists for the attack.[9][10] On its website, a group called Anjoman-e Padeshahi-e Iran (API), or Soldiers of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, claimed responsibility.[11] |
May
Total incidents: 4
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May | ~15 | ~55 | Saada Governorate, Yemen | 15 killed and 55 injured in a bombing at the Bin Salman mosque.[12] |
| 13 May | 80 | 216 | Jaipur, India | A simultaneous bomb blast at eight different sites, including a crowded shopping site and a Hanuman temple, a self-styled Indian Mujahideen, (a collaboration of LeT & SIMI) has claimed responsibility.[13] |
| 22 May | 0 | 1 | Exeter, United Kingdom | See 2008 Exeter bombing |
| 28 May | 3 | 5 | Negele Boran, Ethiopia | A bomb blast at Kidane Mihret and Shuferoch hotel, Islamic militants suspected.[14] |
June
Total incidents: 6
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 June | ~8 | ~30 | Islamabad, Pakistan | A suicide car bombing blast occurred at around 1 pm local time outside the Danish embassy. Nearby buildings also suffered damage. The attack was thought to be the work of fundamentalist terrorists.[15] |
| 6 June | 21 | 47 | Moratuwa suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. | A roadside bomb blast targeted a crowded state-run commuter bus at about 7:35 am The government quickly placed blame upon LTTE. See 2008 Moratuwa bus bombing[16] |
| 6 June | 2 | 20 | Kandy district, Sri Lanka | The Sri Lankan government blamed LTTE militants for a bomb explosion that occurred aboard a commuter bus only a few hours after a similar attack near Colombo. See 2008 Polgolla bus bombing[16] |
| 9 June | 12 | Boumerdès Province, Algeria | Two explosions kill 13 in the town of Beni Amrane. Islamic militants suspected.[17] | |
| 16 June | 12 | 40+ | Northern Province, Sri Lanka | Explosives in a motorcycle detonated in front of a police station in Vavuniya, killing 12 police and injuring 40, including children.[18] |
| 26 June | 18 | 25 | Al-Karmah, Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq | A suicide bomber attacked a meeting of tribal sheikhs. U.S. troops, who were in attendance, were among the injured. It is believed that AQI was behind the attack.[19] |
July
Total incidents: 9
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 July | 11 | ~22 | Islamabad, Pakistan | A suicide-bomber targeted a group of police officers near the Lal Masjid almost a year after a deadly siege and raid on the mosque.[20] |
| 7 July | 58 | 150+ | Kabul, Afghanistan | A suicide-bomber drove an explosives-laden automobile into the front gates of the Indian embassy.[21] |
| 9 July | 3 | 3 | Istanbul, Turkey | Four men, believed to be Turkish citizens, attacked the American consulate around 1100 local time. Three of the four began shooting and were soon met with police fire. The three gunmen, as well as three police officers, were killed in the exchange. The fourth assailant, the driver, escaped the scene. Injuries occurred to two other people.[22][23] |
| 15 July | 35 | 63 | Diyala, Iraq | Two men detonated explosive-laden belts seconds apart in a crowd of Army recruits at the Saad military base. The two bombers disguised themselves as recruits.[24] |
| 21 July | 2 | 13 | Kunming, Yunnan, China | Two bomb explosions occurred on board separate passenger buses during the early morning commute. The first blast happened at about 7:00 am and the second came about an hour later.[25][26] |
| 25 July | 2 | 20 | Bangalore, India | A series of nine blasts kills 2 and injures 20 people.[27] |
| 26 July | 56 | 200 | Ahmedabad, India | A series of seventeen blasts killing 49 and injuring 160 people.[28] |
| 27 July | ~17 | 150+ | Istanbul, Turkey | Two bombs kill 17 people and wound at least 150.[29] |
| 27 July | 2 | 7 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting, Jim David Adkisson kills 2 people and injures 7. |
August
Total incidents: 4
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August | 2 | 23 | Zemmouri, Boumerdès Province, Algeria | Suicide bomber drove and detonated a vehicle on a gendarmerie headquarters, killing several people. Al-Qaida suspected.[30] |
| 19 August | 43 | 45 | Issers, Boumerdès Province, Algeria | A suicide bomber drove a vehicle into a large group of military recruits gathering for exams. Although no one claimed responsibility, such attacks are usually blamed upon Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb.[31][32] |
| 21 August | 63 | 81 | Wah, Attock District, Pakistan | Twin suicide bombings kill 63 people and injure 81 people targeting Pakistan's main munitions factory, the Pakistan Ordnance Factories. The Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility in retaliation for Pakistan Army attacks in the War in North-West Pakistan.[33] |
| 23 August | 8 | Swat, Pakistan | A suicide bomber drives and detonates a vehicle into a checkpoint, killing 8 policemen and injuring several others.[34] |
September
Total incidents: 11
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September | 50+ | 80+ | Peshawar, Pakistan | Two bombs exploded. The first occurred when suicide bomber in a pickup truck, detonated near a paramilitary checkpoint, killing 16.[35] Two hours later, a suicide bomber struck a police post, killing 30 and injuring dozens.[36] |
| 12 September | 28 | 40 | Salah ad Din, Iraq | 28 people killed and 40 injured in a suicide car bombing. The attack happened around 1800 (1500 GMT), when a suicide bomber drove and detonated a vehicle into a police station.[37] |
| 13 September | 30 | 90 | Delhi, India | A series of 5 bombs exploded in Delhi, killing 30 and injuring 90.[38] |
| 15 September | 22 | 32 | Diyala, Iraq | A female suicide bomber detonates herself at a party, killing 22 and injuring 32.[39] |
| 15 September | 8 | 132 | Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico | A series of grenades are detonated in crowds gathered to celebrate Independence Day.[40][41] |
| 17 September | 16+ | 16+ | Sanaa, Yemen | A car bomb exploded outside the U.S. Embassy, followed by an assault by militants.[42] The attackers, reportedly dressed as policemen, also exchanged rocket and gun fire. A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility.[43] |
| 20 September | 60+ | 250+ | Islamabad, Pakistan | The Marriott Hotel is attacked by a massive suicide car bomb, killing over 60 and injuring 250.[44] The blast caused a natural gas leak fire, which destroyed the hotel further. Hours before the blast, President Asif Ali Zardari addressed a joint session of Parliament and promised to root out terrorism.[45] |
| 27 September | 17 | 14 | Damascus, Syria | At least 17 people were killed and 14 hurt by a car bomb. The target of the blast was unclear, but it struck close to an important Shia shrine and a security post.[46] |
| 28 September | 34 | 100+ | Baghdad, Iraq | Several blasts occurred across Baghdad in what turned out to be the deadliest day in the city during Ramadan. The first attack was planted inside a minibus, in the Shurta neighborhood, killing 12 and injuring at least 30. Minutes later, a car bomb exploded in the Hay al-Amil district, killing one. Later, a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest detonated minutes after a bomb in a parked car exploded. A roadside bomb also occurred within the time frame.[47] An Iraqi government security spokesperson said "the insurgents want to show there is no security in Baghdad".[48] |
| 28 September | 7 | 30 | Tripoli, Lebanon | A car bomb targeting a military bus carrying soldiers detonated, killing 7 and injuring 30.[49] |
| 30 September | 8 | 30 | Gujarat and Maharashtra, India | Three bombs explode in two states killing 8 and injuring 30.[50] |
October
Total incidents: 4
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October | ~4 | 100 | Agartala, India | Three bombs exploded in insurgency-racked North-East India. Police said they suspected Muslim militant groups based in Bangladesh for the blasts in the Radhanagar and Gulbazar areas of Tripura's capital.[51][52] |
| 10 October | 113 | 100+ | Orakzai, Pakistan | A suicide bomber drove his car into a meeting of 600 people which was being held in open ground and blew himself up. The meeting was a council of local leaders discussing to raise a militia to evict Taliban from the region.[53][54] |
| 21 October | 17+ | 30+ | Imphal, India | A bomb was suspected to have been planted on a moped near the Manipur police commando complex at Minuthong at 19:30. Police said none of the Manipur police commando personnel staying at the barrack complex were among the casualties. Unconfirmed reports, however, said a surrendered militant may be among the dead.[55] |
| 30 October | 84+ | 470+ | Assam, India | A series of 13 blasts occurred in and around Guwahati.[56] |
November
Total incidents: 2
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 November | 11 | 41 | Vladikavkaz, Russia | A bombing on a microbus killed 11 people and injured 41 more. The attack occurred in the province of North Ossetia bordering war-scarred Chechnya as well as the disputed territory of South Ossetia.[57] Investigators stated that a female suicide bomber may have conducted the attack.[58] |
| 26–29 November | 175 | 327+ | Mumbai, India | Armed terrorists opened fire at eight different sites in a coordinated attack. They wielded automatic weapons and attacked locations including a train station, hotels, restaurants, a police station, and a hospital. Some terrorists took hostages and high military grade explosives (RDX) were found nearby; at least eight explosions were reported. |
December
Total incidents: 2
| Date | Dead | Injured | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 December | 29 | 100 | Peshawar, Pakistan | A car bomb is detonated near a Shia mosque in the central Kissa Khwani bazaar.[59] |
| 24 December | 860+ | ? | Haut-Uele, Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2008 Christmas massacres[60][61] |