List of terrorist attacks in Canada
Encyclopedia
Terrorism
in Canada
primarily consists of fundraising for terrorist attacks outside of the country
.
, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), the Palestine Liberation Front
, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, Hamas
, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Kahane Chai, the Taliban and Mujahedin e-Khalq
.
In 2006, Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day
expanded the federal ban of Hezbollah from the purely militant wing to all 16 sub-organizations, and declared the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
a terrorist group.
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
primarily consists of fundraising for terrorist attacks outside of the country
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Banned terrorist organizations
The Canadian government has banned nearly 40 terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda, the Armed Islamic GroupArmed Islamic Group
The Armed Islamic Group is an Islamist organisation that wants to overthrow the Algerian government and replace it with an Islamic state...
, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE), the Palestine Liberation Front
Palestine Liberation Front
The Palestine Liberation Front is a Palestinian militant group, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Canada, the European Union and the USA. It is presently led by Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef.-Origins:...
, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Palestinian Marxist-Leninist organisation founded in 1967. It has consistently been the second-largest of the groups forming the Palestine Liberation Organization , the largest being Fatah...
, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Kahane Chai, the Taliban and Mujahedin e-Khalq
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....
.
In 2006, Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
expanded the federal ban of Hezbollah from the purely militant wing to all 16 sub-organizations, and declared the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
a terrorist group.
Relating to Cuba
- September 22, 1966 - A bazookaBazookaBazooka is the common name for a man-portable recoilless rocket antitank weapon, widely fielded by the U.S. Army. Also referred to as the "Stovepipe", the innovative bazooka was amongst the first-generation of rocket propelled anti-tank weapons used in infantry combat...
attack on the Cuban embassy in Ottawa, Ontario is made. - October 5, 1966 - Anti-CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
forces bomb the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Ottawa. - May 31, 1967: A small bomb explodes at the CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
Pavilion at Expo 67Expo 67The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in Montreal. The attack is attributed to Cuban Nationalist Action. - October 15, 1967: A bomb explodes at the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Montreal, Quebec.
- May 29, 1969: A bomb is placed in the doorway of the Cuban consulate in Montreal, it fails to go off.
- July 12, 1971: A small bomb goes off at the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Montreal, Quebec.
- April 4, 1972: Cuban official Sergio Pérez Castillo is killed by an explosion at the Cuban consulate in Montreal, Quebec.
- January 21, 1974: A bomb explodes at the Cuban embassy in Ottawa. It is attributed to Orlando BoschOrlando BoschOrlando Bosch Ávila was a Cuban exile militant, former Central Intelligence Agency-backed operative, and head of Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations, which the FBI has described as "an anti-Castro terrorist umbrella organization". Former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh called...
. - September 22, 1976: An explosive device is thrown from a car at the Cuban consulate in Montreal.
- January 14, 1980: A large explosion significantly damages the CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n consulate in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Relating to militant Sikh aspirations for Khalistan
- June 23, 1985 - Air India flight 182Air India Flight 182Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the airplane operating on the route a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of , and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.A...
leaving Montreal, Quebec's Mirabel International AirportMontréal-Mirabel International AirportMontréal-Mirabel International Airport, originally called Montréal International Airport and widely known simply as Mirabel is an airport located in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal and was opened October 4, 1975...
is blown up mid-flight to London, England. - May 26, 1986 - An attempt is made in Vancouver, British Columbia to assassinate Malkiat Singh SidhuMalkiat Singh SidhuMalkiad Singh Sidhu was the former Planning Minister of Punjab, India. He was a member of the Akali Dal political party. In 1986, he was named Minister of State....
, a cabinet minister in the IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n province of Punjab - August 28, 1988 - Indo-Canadian Times editor Tara Singh HayerTara Singh HayerTara Singh Hayer, OBC was a Sikh Canadian newspaper publisher who was murdered.Hayer was born in Paddi Jagir, a small village in Punjab, India...
is shot and partially paralyzed - November 18, 1998 - Newspaper editor Tara Singh HayerTara Singh HayerTara Singh Hayer, OBC was a Sikh Canadian newspaper publisher who was murdered.Hayer was born in Paddi Jagir, a small village in Punjab, India...
is assassinated for his strident opposition to SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
militants.
Relating to Turkey
- April 8, 1982 - TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Commercial Counselor to CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Kani Güngör is paralyzed after an attack by ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n nationalists at his Ottawa, Ontario apartment. - August 23, 1982 - TurkishTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
military attachéMilitary attachéA military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to Canada, Col. Atilla AltıkatAtilla AltikatColonel Atilla Altikat was the Turkish military attaché to Ottawa, Canada, who was assassinated in 1982. The Armenian group, Justice Commandos Against Armenian Genocide, claimed responsibility for the attack. The act was forcefully condemned by the Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau.Before...
, is assassinated by ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n militants in OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
while sitting in his vehicle at a traffic light. - March 12, 1985 - A group of Armenians seize the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Ottawa1985 Turkish embassy attack in OttawaThe 1985 Turkish embassy attack was an attack on the Turkish embassy in Ottawa, Canada, on March 12, 1985.-The attack:The storming of the embassy began shortly before 7 a.m., when three terrorists in a rented moving truck arrived at the embassy gate. They scaled the security gate and began shooting...
, killing a Canadian security guard.
Other incidents
- April 7, 1868 - Thomas D'Arcy McGee is assassinated in Ottawa, Ontario by an alleged Irish nationalist or FenianFenianThe Fenians , both the Fenian Brotherhood and Irish Republican Brotherhood , were fraternal organisations dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic in the 19th and early 20th century. The name "Fenians" was first applied by John O'Mahony to the members of the Irish republican...
rebel sympathizer named Patrick Whelan. - November 25, 1965 - CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n nationalists bomb the YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n consulate in Toronto, Ontario. - January 29, 1967 - The YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n embassy in Ottawa and the consulate in Toronto, Ontario are among six Yugoslavian offices bombed in North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. - September 3, 1984 - Montreal, Quebec's Central Station is bombed, killing 3 people and wounding more than 30. Thomas Bernard BrighamThomas Bernard BrighamThomas "Tommy" Bernard Clark Brigham was an elderly American war veteran convicted of planting a bomb in Central Station in Montreal, Canada on September 3, 1984, killing three French tourists and injuring 30–47 other people...
, an elderly retired American armed forces officer, claims to have been protesting Pope John Paul II's visit to Canada. - April 9, 1989 - Charles YacoubCharles YacoubCharles Yacoub is a Lebanese-Canadian who hijacked a Greyhound bus and drove it to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada in 1989. The eight hour hostage taking resulted in no casualties, but was a notable incident of domestic terrorism in Canada.-Life:...
hijacks a bus and drives it to Parliament Hill to protest the Syrian invasion of Lebanon
Quebec nationalism
- 1963-1969 - Front de libération du QuébecFront de libération du QuébecThe Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
(FLQ) starts a bombing campaign at the average rate of one every ten days. Targets included English owned businesses, banks, McGill University and the homes of prominent English speakers. - 1963 FLQ bombing of Canadian Army Recruiting Centre in Montreal, killing Sgt. Wilfred V. O'Neil.
- January 29, 1965 - Two U.S. jets (F-84s) being overhauled by Northwest Industries in Edmonton, Alberta were destroyed and a third damaged when a left-wing group protesting the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
dynamited the planes; a security guard was killed during the incident. - late 1960s - FLQ places a bomb in a window well of the National Defence Headquarters on Lisgar St in Ottawa, Ontario. The explosion killed a cleaning lady.
- late 1960s - FLQ places a bomb in a mailbox next to the Canadian Tire store on Wellington St in Ottawa, Ontario.
- February 13, 1969 - FLQ sets off a powerful bomb that rips through the Montreal Stock Exchange causing massive destruction and seriously injuring twenty-seven people.
- October 5, 1970 - British diplomat James CrossJames CrossJames Richard Cross, CMG was a British diplomat in Canada who was kidnapped by the Front de libération du Québec terrorist group during the October Crisis of October 1970....
and October 10 Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre LaportePierre LaportePierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and killed by members of the group Front de libération du Québec during the October Crisis. Mr...
are kidnapped by the FLQ in Montreal. (The dead body of Pierre LaportePierre LaportePierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and killed by members of the group Front de libération du Québec during the October Crisis. Mr...
was discovered in the trunk of a car in Montreal, Quebec on October 17, 1970; Cross was released on December 3, 1970.) - 2000 - The Brigade d'autodéfense du français bombs a church where an English fundraiser was to be held.
- 2001 - Quebec - The FLQ/The Brigade d'autodéfense du français firebombs three "Second Cup" locations in Montreal. They were targeted because of the company's use of its incorporated English name "Second Cup". Rhéal Mathieu, a previously convicted FLQ terrorist was convicted for all three bombings. Seven McDonald's restaurants were also firebombed.
Islamist
- 2006 - In the 2006 Ontario terrorism plot, Canadian counter-terrorism forces arrested 18 people (dubbed the "Toronto 18") tied to Al Qaeda. They were accused of planning to detonate truck bombs, to open fire in a crowded area, and to storm the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, the Canadian Parliament building, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) headquarters, and the parliamentary Peace Tower, to take hostages and to behead the Prime Minister and other leaders.
Antisemitism
- April 2004 - A Canadian of Lebanese Muslim heritage firebombs the library of the United Talmud Torahs Montreal Jewish school.
Anarchist
- October 14, 1982 - The anarchist group the Squamish FiveSquamish FiveThe Squamish Five were a group of self-styled "urban guerrillas" active in Canada during the early 1980s. Their chosen name was Direct Action....
, who were Canadian version of Direct ActionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
, bombs a Litton IndustriesLitton IndustriesNamed after inventor Charles Litton, Sr., Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation in 2001.-History:...
factory north of Toronto, Ontario that is manufacturing guidance devices for American cruise missileCruise missileA cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s, ten are injured. - May 18, 2010 - Ottawa, Ontario, an RBC bank was firebombed by an anarchist group causing $300,000 in damages.
Environmental
- October 2008 to July 2009 - Dawson Creek, British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Six natural gas pipelines owned by Encana Corp. were bombed after letters were sent to a local newspaper opposing the gas industry.
Other
- May 18, 1966 - Paul Joseph ChartierPaul Joseph ChartierPaul Joseph Chartier was a Canadian man who died when a bomb he was preparing exploded in a washroom of the Parliament of Canada. It is believed that he was preparing to bomb the House of Commons....
's attempt to bomb the House of Commons fails when the device goes off prematurely in a Centre Block washroom. - April 20, 1995 - Roger Charles BellRoger Charles BellRoger Charles Bell is a former Canadian secondary school teacher and convicted criminal from Prince Edward Island. Born in Murray River in 1944, Bell is a graduate of Dalhousie University and taught high school chemistry at several schools in eastern Prince Edward Island.-Criminal conviction:Bell...
places a bomb outside Province HouseProvince House (Prince Edward Island)Province House is where the Prince Edward Island Legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, has met since 1847. The building is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown; it is Canada's second-oldest seat of government.- History...
, the Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
legislature, injuring one
Further reading
- Hamilton, D. et al. (2006). Inside Canadian Intelligence: Exposing the New Realities of Espionage and International Terrorism. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-608-9
External links
- Terrorism within Canada - RCMP Watch
- The Anti-terrorism Act - Department of Justice