Statistically, attending a weekly worship service remains a remarkably safe activity. With billions of people worldwide participating annually, the number of fatalities caused by attacks on places of worship rarely exceeds a few hundred each year.
However, several high-profile, deadly attacks in recent years — targeting synagogues in England and Pennsylvania, mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and a Catholic church in the United States during a school Mass — have intensified fear and anxiety among clergy and worshippers globally.
Below is a summary of notable attacks on houses of worship over the past 15 years:
Australia
- Dec. 6, 2024: A synagogue in Melbourne was severely damaged by a firebomb during a wave of antisemitic attacks. One congregant was injured. Australian authorities have accused Iran of orchestrating the attack.
Congo
- July 27, 2025: Rebels stormed a Catholic church during a vigil in Ituri province, killing several dozen worshippers.
Egypt
- November 2017: More than 300 people were killed in a brutal militant attack on a mosque in northern Sinai, frequented by Sufi Muslims. At this time, Egypt’s military was already engaged in fighting militants in the region.
- April 9, 2017: Suicide bombers struck two Coptic churches in northern Egypt hours apart during Palm Sunday services, killing over 40. The Islamic State claimed responsibility and vowed to continue targeting Christians.
Britain
- Oct. 2, 2025: A knife attack at a synagogue in Manchester left two worshippers dead. The assailant pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
- June 19, 2017: A man drove a van into pedestrians near a mosque in London as worshippers were leaving prayers, killing one and injuring a dozen. The attacker was sentenced to at least 43 years in prison, having been radicalized by far-right and Islamophobic propaganda online.
France
- Oct. 29, 2020: A stabbing attack at a Catholic basilica in Nice left three dead. The Tunisian attacker was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
- July 26, 2016: Two assailants attacked a Mass at a Catholic church in Normandy, killing an 85-year-old priest. The Islamic State claimed responsibility. The attackers were killed by police.
Germany
- Oct. 9, 2019: A right-wing extremist attempted to attack a synagogue in Halle on Yom Kippur, livestreaming the event. After failing to enter the building, he killed two people nearby. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.
- March 9, 2023: A former Jehovah’s Witness opened fire during a service in Hamburg, killing six and wounding nine before taking his own life. Investigators noted the gunman left the church under difficult circumstances.
- Oct. 18, 2023: Two Molotov cocktails were thrown near a Berlin synagogue shortly after Hamas’ attack on Israel. The firebombs ignited on the sidewalk; the perpetrators fled with faces covered.
New Zealand
- March 15, 2019: A white supremacist killed 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques during Friday prayers. The attacks led to new gun laws and changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed the shootings. He was sentenced to life without parole, a first in New Zealand.
Norway
- Aug. 10, 2019: Philip Manshaus, a white nationalist, killed his stepsister before firing rifle shots at a mosque in Oslo during Eid al-Adha preparations. He was overpowered by worshippers.
Syria
- June 22, 2025: A suicide bomber attacked a Greek Orthodox church near Damascus, killing more than 20 and injuring dozens.
United States
- Sept. 29, 2025: An ex-Marine rammed a truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan, opened fire, and set the building on fire during Sunday service. Four were killed, eight injured; the attacker was fatally shot by police.
- Aug. 27, 2025: Two children died and others were injured in a shooting during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. The shooter, a former parish school student, died by self-inflicted gunshot.
- Oct. 27, 2018: Eleven Jews were fatally shot during services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh by a white supremacist. The gunman faces execution.
- Nov. 5, 2017: Twenty-five people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a mass shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, in an attack believed to stem from a family feud.
- June 17, 2015: Nine people were killed during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The shooter, a white supremacist, awaits execution.
- Aug. 5, 2012: Six people were killed at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin by a white supremacist who spoke of racial holy war. One injured victim later died from wounds, raising fatalities to seven.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through its collaboration with The Conversation US, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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