EUROPE EVENTS CONNECTED IN IMMIGRATION
Spain's involvement in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq
Islamist Extremists
SPAIN
2004: Madrid Train Bombings (March 11, 2004)
As of 2024, there were 8,915,831 foreign-born people in Spain, making up to 18.31% of the population
The attack was part of a broader pattern of ISIS-inspired terrorism
Islamic State (ISIS)
2017: Terrorist Attacks in Barcelona (2017) August 17, 2017
Foreign population residing in Spain in 2023, by nationality
FRANCE
2005 : Deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré October 27, 2005
widespread participation of young men, many of whom were of immigrant descent
🚩2005 French Riots
The attackers were motivated by what they viewed as blasphemy against Islam. The publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad was seen by them and other extremists as an unforgivable insult to their religion.
Two French-born brothers of Algerian descent, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi,
🚩2015 : January 7, 2015 Charlie Hebdo Attack
The attackers, and ISIS as a whole, explicitly framed the Paris attacks as retaliation for French airstrikes in Syria and Iraq. ISIS propaganda before and after the attacks highlighted this as a key motive, warning of further violence if military actions continued.
Many of the attackers were born in Europe to immigrant parents or had traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS before returning to Europe.
🚩2015 : November 13, 2015 - Paris Attack
ISIS had been actively encouraging so-called "lone-wolf" attacks in Western countries.
Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian-born man living in France
🚩 2016 : July 14, 2016 Nice Truck Attack
Cheurfi had pledged allegiance to ISIS and was motivated by the group's call to target law enforcement officers and symbols of state power in Western countries. ISIS had repeatedly called for such attacks in its propaganda.
Karim Cheurfi, a 39-year-old French national
🚩2017 : April 20, 2017 Champs-Élysées shooting
Chekatt’s attack was motivated by extremist Islamist ideology. After the attack, while on the run, he reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great)
Cherif Chekatt was born in France to Algerian immigrant parents.
🚩2018 : December 11, 2018 Strasbourg Christmas Market Attack
GERMANY
including cultural differences regarding gender and sexuality, opportunistic criminal behavior, and the anonymity provided by the large crowd.
young men, many of whom were asylum seekers or recent immigrants
🚩 2015-2016 December 31, 2015 – January 1, 2016 Cologne New Year's Eve Assaults
🚩 2016 : December 19, 2016 Berlin Christmas Market Attack
Amri was known to German authorities as a potential Islamist extremist. He had been flagged for surveillance due to his connections with extremist networks and his support for jihadist ideologies.
An Islamist extremist, Anis Amri, a Tunisian asylum seeker
motivations were largely attributed to his mental health problems rather than extremist ideology
Abdallatif A., an Afghan national
🚩2018 : March 9, 2018 Dusseldorf Train Station Incident
related to a personal dispute or confrontation rather than any broader political or ideological reasons, where there had been growing unease about immigration and its effects on public safety.
Yousif Ibrahim Abdullah (Iraqi) and Alaa Sheikhi (Syrian)
🚩 2018 : September 2018 Chemnitz Protests
and their actions reflected broader issues of integration, frustration, and social marginalization
four young men of Afghan and Iranian origin
🚩Early January 2019 Amberg Assaults
It is believed that Araya was suffering from a psychotic episode at the time of the attack, which led him to commit the act without any rational reasoning
Habte Araya was a 40-year-old Eritrean national, granted asylum and had been considered well-integrated into Swiss society before the attack.
🚩2019 : July 29, 2019 Frankfurt Train Station Attack
His manifesto revealed a hatred for immigrants and non-Germans, whom he blamed for societal problems. He believed that certain ethnic groups should be exterminated to protect the "purity" of Germany.
Tobias Rathjen was a German national born and raised in Hanau, a city in the state of Hesse, Germany.
🚩2020 : February 19, 2020 Hanau Shootings