Anti-Muslim terror attacks: Major incidents over the past decade

A series of deadly attacks targeting Muslims in North America and Europe over the past decade has heightened fears over rising Islamophobia and anti-Muslim violence.

San Diego, US, 2026

Three people, including a security guard, were fatally shot at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday.

Law enforcement officials said that two suspects died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Ontario truck attack, Canada, 2021

Four members of a Muslim family were killed and a child seriously injured after a man drove a pickup truck into them while they were out for an evening walk in Ontario in June 2021.

Nathaniel Veltman was convicted in 2023 of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Prosecutors described the attack as an act of terrorism motivated by white nationalist ideology.

Baerum mosque attack, Norway, 2019

A heavily armed gunman attacked the Al-Noor Islamic Centre near Oslo in August 2019. One worshipper subdued the attacker before mass casualties occurred.

The suspect, Philip Manshaus, was convicted in 2020 of terrorism and murder after also killing his adopted sister in a separate racially motivated attack. He was sentenced to 21 years in preventive detention, Norway’s harshest penalty.

Investigators said Manshaus had embraced far-right extremist ideology, including white supremacist conspiracy theories, and had been inspired by the Christchurch mosque shootings earlier that year. Prosecutors said he targeted his adopted sister because of her Asian background and attacked the mosque to spread fear among Muslims.

Christchurch mosque shootings, New Zealand, 2019

A white supremacist gunman attacked two mosques in Christchurch during Friday prayers in March 2019, killing 51 people and livestreaming part of the massacre online.

Brenton Tarrant pleaded guilty to murder, attempted murder and terrorism charges in 2020 and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole – the first such sentence in New Zealand’s history.

Finsbury Park mosque attack, UK, 2017

In June 2017, a man drove a van into worshippers gathered near a Finsbury Park mosque in north London after Ramadan prayers, killing one man and injuring several others.

Darren Osborne was convicted of murder and attempted murder in 2018 and sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 43 years. Prosecutors said that he had been radicalized by anti-Muslim propaganda.

Mosque attack in Quebec City, Canada, 2017

A gunman opened fire during evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City in January 2017, killing six worshippers and injuring more than a dozen others.

Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder. Canada’s Supreme Court later ruled he would be eligible for parole after 25 years, rejecting consecutive life sentences without parole eligibility.

Killing of imam in New York, US, 2016

Imam Maulama Akonjee and his assistant Thara Uddin were shot dead near their mosque in Queens, New York, in August 2016 while they were walking back home from afternoon prayers.

Oscar Morel was convicted in 2018 of second-degree murder and weapons charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole by Judge Gregory Lasak, who called the killings a “cold-blooded assassination.”

Chapel Hill shooting, US, 2015

Three Muslim university students – Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha – were shot and killed in their apartment near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in February 2015.

The suspect, Craig Stephen Hicks, pleaded guilty in 2019 to three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. While Hicks said he was provoked by a parking dispute, victims’ families and prosecutors said that he was motivated by bigotry.