November 24 - Terrorist Attack on Egyptian Mosque

This Day in History: 24 November 2020

 

24 November 2017

 

3 years ago, today, a bomb destroyed a mosque in Egypt's northern Sinai region as terrorists opened fire on those finishing Friday prayer at the al-Rawdah mosque. This attack killed 305 people, including 27 children, and wounded 120, making it the deadliest terrorist strike in the country's recent years. It also served as a cruel turning point for the country. The attacks had been common since 2013, when the current president overthrew President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. However, attacks on mosques had been rare, as the terrorists had previously been attacking Coptic Christian churches and security forces, but generally avoided Muslim houses of prayer.

 

The attack occurred just days before the prophet Muhammad's birthday, when the mosque was full of worshippers. 25-30 militants pulled up in vehicles and fired on worshipped from the mosque's main door and 12 large windows. Several bombs and rocket-propelled grenades went off as worshippers tried to flee. The gunmen set fire to cars parked outside and shot at arriving ambulances to hinder escape. While no group took responsibility, evidence pointed to ISIS. Hours after the attack, Egypt's military launched air strikes on targets in mountainous areas around the city, and three days of national mourning was declared.

 

Want to find out more about the 2017 Sinai terrorist attack? Click here for more information.

 

September 11 - The Attack on America

This Day in History: 11 September 2020

 

11 September 2001

 

19 years ago, today, the Attack on America, also known as 9/11, occurred when two American Airliners crashed into the north and south towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City. The collisions caused massive explosions that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and the streets below. Hundreds of people were instantly killed and hundreds more were trapped in the building's higher floors. At first, it seemed like a freak accident, but when the second plane hit, it was clear that the attackers were Islamic terrorists, reportedly financed by al Qaeda.

 

The terrorists were reportedly acting in retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East. After the attack was over, it was revealed that only six people in the World Trade Centre towers at the time of collapse survived. 10,000 other people were treated for injuries, and close to 3,000 people died. In order to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Ladin's terrorist network there, Operation Enduring Freedom was launched in October. Ten years later, bin Laden was killed during a raid of his compound in Pakistan by US forces.

 

Want to find out more about the 9/11 attacks? Click here for more information, or here for more about how the attacks changed America.

September 5 - The Munich Olympics Massacre

This Day in History: 5 September 2020

 

5 September 1972

 

48 years ago, today, the Munich Olympics massacre began, when a group of Palestinian terrorists stormed the Olympic Village apartment of Israeli athletes. Two were killed, and nine others were taken hostage. The terrorists were part of a group known as Black September. In return for the release of the hostages, they demanded that Israel release over 230 Arabs being held in Israeli jails, as well as two German terrorists. At Munich airport, the nine Israeli hostages were killed along with five terrorists in a shootout. Olympic competition was suspended for 24 hours in memorial for the athletes.

 

At the main Munich Olympic stadium, after the memorial service was held, it was ordered that the games continue by the International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage, in order to show that the terrorists had not won. Even though the tragedy deeply scarred the games, there were still many moments of great athletic achievement. This included American swimmer Mark Spitz's seven gold medals. In the aftermath of the murders and Olympics, the Israeli government, led by Golda Meir, hired a group of Mossad agents to track down and kill the Black September terrorists.

 

Want to find out more about the Munich Olympics massacre? Click here for more information, or watch the 2005 Stephen Spielberg film 'Munich', which was based on these events.

Does Bin Laden Deserve a Place in History?

The dramatic events in Pakistan on Monday led to the death of Osama Bin Laden and the end of a nearly ten year-long manhunt following the terrorist attacks on September 11. His death is clearly significant, and has led to a huge amount of media coverage around the world and given Barack Obama a helpful victory at a politically significant time. This BBC article takes a longer view, considering Bin Laden's background and career and whether historians will consider him of significance in the long term, particularly in the light of the recent dramatic events in Egypt, Libya and Syria which have had little involvement from Al Qaeda.

Anarchists and Terrorists

Here's an interesting article from the BBC about Emile Henry, an intellectual anarchist who, according to the author, became the first "modern terrorist" when he deliberately targeted innocent members of the public with a bomb in 1894 because they happened to be members of the bourgeoisie. It then goes on to discuss the nature of terrorism and whether even governments can be accused of acting as terrorists. Your thoughts on this, as always, are welcome.