This is a list of terrorist incidents which took place in 2013, including attacks by violent non-state actors for political motives. Note that terrorism related to drug wars and cartel violence is not included in these lists. Ongoing military conflicts are listed separately.
Guidelines
To be included, entries must be notable (have a stand-alone article) and described by a consensus of reliable sources as "terrorism".
List entries must comply with the guidelines outlined in the manual of style under MOS:TERRORIST.
Casualty figures in this list are the total casualties of the incident including immediate casualties and later casualties (such as people who succumbed to their wounds long after the attacks occurred).
Casualties listed are the victims. Perpetrator casualties are listed separately (e.g. x (+y) indicate that x victims and y perpetrators were killed/injured).
Casualty totals may be underestimated or unavailable due to a lack of information. A figure with a plus (+) sign indicates that at least that many people have died (e.g. 10+ indicates that at least 10 people have died) – the actual toll could be considerably higher. A figure with a plus (+) sign may also indicate that over that number of people are victims.
If casualty figures are 20 or more, they will be shown in bold. In addition, figures for casualties more than 50 will also be underlined.
Incidents are limited to one per location per day. If multiple attacks occur in the same place on the same day, they will be merged into a single incident.
January 2013 Pakistan bombings: A string of bombings hit the country. A bombing at a crowded market in Quetta killed 12 and injured 47 in an attack claimed by a Balochistan separatist group. Later, twin blasts took place in quick succession at a snooker hall. A total of 92 people were killed in these attacks, including 9 policemen, 25 rescue workers and 3 journalists who perished in the second one. In addition, an explosion at a Tableeghi Jamaat seminary in the Swat Valley, outside of Saidu Sharif, killed 22 people and wounded 60.[1][2][3][4][5]
Aleppo University bombings: Two explosions struck between the Aleppo University halls of residence and the faculty of architecture as students were gathering for the first day of exams. The Syrian government accused rebels of firing a surface-to-air missile, while opposition activists said government jets bombed the campus.[6]
In Amenas hostage crisis: Militants under the command of Mokhtar Belmokhtar took more than 800 people hostage at a remote gas facility, leading to a tense 4-day standoff with the Algerian Army and at least 2 assaults. At least 40 hostages and 29 militants were killed, while 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners were freed.[7]
February 2013 Damascus bombings: A car bomb exploded next to the Ba'ath Party offices, killing 61 and injuring more than 200. The attack killed mostly civilians. In addition, three bombings killed 22 and injured 50 in the suburb of Barzeh. Most of the victims were government soldiers.[10][11]
Akashat ambush: Gunmen ambushed a Syrian Army convoy escorted by Iraqi soldiers, killing 51 Syrians and 13 Iraqis near the border between the two nations.[15][16]
19 March 2013 Iraq attacks: A series of coordinated bombings and shootings across central and northern Iraq on the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. At least 61 were killed and 148 wounded in Baghdad, where most of the major attacks took place.[20]
Boston Marathon bombing: Two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. One suspect was killed during a shootout with police in Watertown, Massachusetts in the early hours of April 19, while the other suspect, his brother, was arrested nearby about 18 hours later. The two also shot and killed a police officer in Cambridge prior to the police chase.[25]
2013 Hawija clashes: On April 23, an Iraqi Army raid against a protest encampment in the city of Hawija, west of Kirkuk, led to dozens of civilian deaths and to several insurgent groups and local tribal militias attacking security forces across the country.[27][28][29][30]
Part of 4 attacks by Pavlo Lapshyn, a white supremacist. 82-year-old Mohammed Saleem, a Birmingham resident, was stabbed to death. Lapshyn later went on a campaign of bombing attempts at mosques in the West Midlands.[31][32]
May 2013 Iraq attacks: A series of deadly bombings and shootings across central and northern Iraq over a period of seven days. The deadliest incident was a blast at a Sunni mosque in Baqubah on May 17 that killed 43 and injured 80 others.[33][34][35][36]
Murder of Lee Rigby: Soldier and drummer Lee Rigby was knocked down by a car, after which the 2 occupants attacked him with knives and a machete, almost decapitating him and dumping the body on the road. The attackers were later injured in a shootout with security forces and arrested.[37]
10 June 2013 Iraq attacks: Insurgents staged another series of coordinated attacks across central and northern Iraq. The incidents included a series of bombing and clashes in Mosul that killed 34 and wounded 123 others. Other attacks targeted Iraqi Army bases, markets, as well as police checkpoints.[39]
June 2013 Mogadishu attack: Militants detonated a car bomb at the main UNDP base and staged an assault on the compound. Government forces were able to retake control of the site after a 90-minute shootout.[44]
2013 Peshawar mosque bombing: A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite mosque in the Gulshan neighborhood. The perpetrators first gunned down a police officer and a security guard before the suicide bomber entered the mosque.[45]
2013 Afghan presidential palace attack: Eight fighters cleared two high-level security clearances, entering one of the most heavily restricted areas in Kabul.[46] They detonated a series of suicide bombs near the eastern gate of the Arg presidential palace, launching two rocket propelled grenades at the CIA headquarters in Afghanistan and engaging in a firefight with palace security guards.[47] Three Afghan guards were killed, as well as all eight fighters.[48]
Part of 4 attacks by Pavlo Lapshyn. A homemade bomb was left and detonated outside a mosque during Friday prayers.[32][31]
Pavlo Lapshyn
Jul 2
Bombings, shootings
86
234
across Iraq
July 2013 Iraq attacks: Five car bombs exploded in predominantly Shia areas of Baghdad in the neighborhoods of Shuala, Kamiliyah, Shaab and Abu Tcheer. Other shootings also killed four people. At the same time two bombings in Kirkuk and Mosul resulted in one person dead and three others wounded.[49] Other targets included Iraqi Army and Police forces, Sahwa members, as well as government officials.[50]
Yobe State school shooting: Gunmen attacked the Government Secondary School in a pre-dawn raid. Most of the victims were students, with the exception of a few staff members and at least one teacher. More than 100 people were reported missing in the aftermath of the attack. Some of the students were burned alive.[51]
2013 Colombian clashes: During clashes over two days, 17 Colombian forces died on the first day and four others the next day. At the same time the rebels took U.S. citizen Kevin Scott Sutay hostage on 20 June. The attacks occurred during peace talks in Cuba between the government and FARC.[52]
2013 Tiananmen Square attack: An SUV truck drove off the road at north of Tiananmen Square, passed barriers and caught fire in front of the main entrance of the Forbidden City. The attack claimed all three occupants of the vehicle, who were suspected to be Uighurs and two tourists, one Filipina and one Chinese. The incident was suspected to be a suicide attack.[54]
2013 Sanaa attack: A suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden car towards the western entrance of the Defense Ministry complex. The suicide car bombing was followed by a coordinated attack by militants in another car. Another coordinated attack and gunfight outside the complex was reported to have taken place later that day.[55]
^Kotz, Deborah (24 April 2013). "Injury toll from Marathon bombs reduced to 264". Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2013. Boston public health officials said Tuesday that they have revised downward their estimate of the number of people injured in the Marathon attacks, to 264.