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Stabbing A stabbing is penetrating trauma, penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an Assassination, assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself ...
attacks, which have been used as a tactic for thousands of years, became an increasingly common form of
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
targeting random civilians in the 21st century, in particular during the 2010s and 2020s.


Incitement by terrorist groups

In May 2016,
Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
's ''
Inspire Inspiration, inspire, INSPIRE, or inspired commonly refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, a Christian doctrine on the origin of the Bible * Inhalation, breathing in Inspiration and rel ...
'' published an article entitled "O Knife Revolution, Head Toward America." The magazine urged Muslims to kill "the intelligentsia, economic and influential personalities of America," by low-tech methods including stabbing attacks on the grounds, as such assaults are "easy options that do not require huge efforts or man power, but the result is parallel to the big operations or even more." In October 2016, '' Rumiyah'', the online propaganda and recruitment magazine published by the
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
(IS) told followers that holy warriors down through Muslim history have "struck the necks of the
kuffar ''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam a ...
" in the name of
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
, with "swords, severing limbs and piercing the fleshy meat of those who opposed
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
." The magazine advised its readers that knives are easy to obtain, easy to hide, and deadly, and that they make good weapons in places where Muslims might be regarded with suspicion.


Modern history

According to security analyst
Peter Bergen Peter Lampert Bergen (born December 12, 1962) is an American journalist, documentary producer, historian, and author, best known for his work on national security and counterterrorism. He has written or edited ten books—three of which were ...
, stabbing attacks have gained popularity because such attacks are inexpensive and easy to carry out, but very difficult for security services to prevent. According to Juan Romero, this resurgence emerged first with the
GIA ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizab ...
in the 1990s and later among
Palestinian terrorists Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence or terrorism committed by Palestinians with the intent to accomplish political goals in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Common objectives of political violence by Pal ...
and
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
militants in the 21st century. A wave of lone wolf terrorist stabbing attacks in which Palestinian Arabs attacked Israeli civilians began on 3 October 2015 with the first of the
Lions' Gate stabbings On 3 October 2015, a Palestinian resident of al-Bireh attacked the Benita family near the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem, as they were on their way to the Western Wall to pray. The attacker murdered Aaron Benita, the father of the family, and injur ...
. The ensuing 2015–2016 wave of violence in Israeli-Palestinian conflict is thought to have been driven not by formal organizations but, rather by social media postings inspiring young Palestinians to undertake attacks with knives and with vehicles. In response, Israeli police have revamped their anti-terrorism tactics, increasing monitoring of social media, improving the intercommunication of mobile devices, and giving security agencies the ability to instantly trace phone calls made from such devices. The series of Palestinian stabbing attacks were followed by the spread of such attacks during the wave of
Islamic terrorism in Europe Islamic terrorism (also known as Islamist terrorism or Jihadist terrorism) has been carried out in Europe by the jihadist groups Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist Lone wolf (terrorism), ...
which had seen "at least" 10 stabbing attacks allegedly motivated by
Islamic extremism Islamic extremism refers to extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies adhered to by some Muslims within Islam. The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Is ...
in Europe by the spring of 2017, with a particular concentration of such attacks in France.


See also

*
Mass stabbing A mass stabbing is a single incident in which multiple victims are injured or killed with a sharp object thrusted at the victims, piercing through the skin and injuring the victims. Examples of sharp instruments used in mass stabbings may includ ...
*
Sicarii The Sicarii were a group of Jewish assassins who were active throughout Judaea in the years leading up to and during the First Jewish–Roman War, which took place at the end of the Second Temple period. Often associated with the Zealots (altho ...
– ancient Jewish extremists who used this terrorist tactic *
List of knife attacks by Islamic extremists This is a list of knife attacks by Islamic extremists carried out by individuals or organizations against civilian populations or against military personnel not stationed in conflict zones. This list includes attacks where an edged melee weapon ...


References

{{Terrorism topics Terrorism tactics Terrorist tactic