LONDON — Authorities in Germany are investigating a recent incident in which a vehicle crashed into a Christmas market, and they are treating it as a deliberate attack. This event is part of a troubling trend of using vehicles as weapons, which has emerged as a deadly method over the past ten years.
Numerous attacks have taken place globally, with some executed by organized groups, although the majority have been carried out by individuals. The underlying motivations for these attacks have been diverse, ranging from inspirations from extremist organizations like al-Qaida and ISIS to cases rooted in mental health issues, far-right radicalism, and online antagonism toward women. Law enforcement agencies categorize these incidents as “vehicle as a weapon attacks,” leading cities to implement safety measures, including barriers and anti-vehicle infrastructures in public areas and new buildings.
Here are some notable examples of vehicle-related attacks:
In Magdeburg, Germany, on December 20, 2024, a car crashed into a crowded Christmas market, resulting in the deaths of at least five individuals and injuring over 200 others. The driver, a 50-year-old physician from Saudi Arabia, had expressed anti-Muslim sentiments and was associated with the far-right AFD party.
On November 11, 2024, in Zhuhai, China, a 62-year-old man drove his vehicle into a group of people exercising, killing 35 in one of the deadliest mass slaughters in the nation in several years. Authorities revealed that the perpetrator was distressed over his divorce but disclosed little else regarding the incident.
In June 2021, London, Ontario, witnessed a harrowing event where four members of a Muslim family were struck and killed by a pickup truck while walking. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the attack as “a terrorist act driven by hatred.” The white nationalist perpetrator, Nathaniel Veltman, has since been sentenced to life imprisonment.
In April 2018, Alek Minassian, a 25-year-old man from Canada, drove a rented van into pedestrians on Toronto’s Yonge St., killing 10 and injuring 16 others. He told police that he identified with the online “incel” community, a group of men frustrated by lack of intimate relationships.
Another incident occurred on October 31, 2017, in New York, where Sayfullo Saipov, an extremist from Uzbekistan, crashed a pickup truck into cyclists on a busy bike path, resulting in eight fatalities.
In Barcelona, on August 17, 2017, a van was driven into pedestrians along the bustling Las Ramblas boulevard, leading to 14 deaths and numerous injuries. Members of the same militant group executed a second vehicle attack in a nearby town before being shot by police, with the Islamic State claiming responsibility for the actions.
In Charlottesville, Virginia, during a rally on August 12, 2017, a white supremacist named James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into counter-protestors, killing one and injuring many others.
The same year, incidents in London included Khalid Masood’s attack on Westminster Bridge, resulting in four deaths, and another attack where three attackers used a van on London Bridge before carrying out stabbings in Borough Market, which led to the loss of eight lives. Further, Darren Osborne drove a van into worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, causing one death and injuring 15 others.
Moving to Melbourne, Australia, on January 20, 2017, a car barreled into crowds at a pedestrian mall, killing six and injuring over 30, with the driver found to be under the influence of drugs.
On December 19, 2016, Anis Amri, a rejected asylum seeker from Tunisia, drove a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, which claimed 13 lives and injured many more. He was killed days later in Italy during a police shootout.
In the deadliest attack of its kind, a man named Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel executed a drive-by assault in Nice, France, on July 14, 2016, when he used a rented truck to mow down people on a crowded promenade, resulting in 86 fatalities.
An earlier incident in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, on April 28, 2009, involved former security guard Karst Tates intentionally driving into a crowd at a parade, killing six individuals while trying to target a bus carrying the Dutch royal family. The motive for his actions was never fully understood as he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Lastly, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on March 3, 2006, Mohammed Taheri-Azar drove an SUV into a group of bystanders at the University of North Carolina, injuring nine people, as he later claimed the act was revenge for the deaths of Muslims in other countries.
