CTB 60: 14 Years of Counter Terror Business

In our 60th issue, we look back at the last 14 years of terrorism and counter terrorism.

Counter Terror Business was launched in 2010 in response to increased interest in security and counter terrorism coming from PSi's other titles, as well as in government and the wider public.

It was launched as a specialist publication distributed to heads of security, intelligence officers, procurement officials, and department heads in local and central government, to inform the latest in counter terror intelligence, technology, and human resources.

Since then CTB has grown with a magazine, website, and online and in-person events.

2010

2010 was the year of the coalition government. At the time, the government said: “The terrorist threats we face now are more diverse than before, dispersed across a wider geographical area, and often in countries without effective governance. We therefore face an unpredictable
situation, with potentially more frequent, less sophisticated terrorist attacks.

The then-government continued on with the Contest strategy, which is still in place today.

In October 2010, the government published a new National Security Strategy which identified terrorism as one of the four highest risks faced by the UK (the others being hostile attacks on cyber space, a major accident or natural hazard and an international military crisis between states). In the strategy, the government committed to giving top priority to countering the threat from terrorism at home and overseas.

In May 2010, MP Stephen Timms was stabbed by an Islamic extremist at a constituency surgery.

The Arab Spring began from late 2010, leading to the overthrow of leaders including Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia in 2011, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya in 2011, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt in 2011, and Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen in 2012. This was followed by civil war in Syria, the rise of ISIS and years of unrest across the area.

2011

In March, two people were killed when a man opened fire at Frankfurt airport.

In April, Ronan Kerr, a catholic member of the PSNI was killed in a car bombing by suspected dissident republicans and in May, Osama bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALS in Pakistan.

On 22 July, Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people and injured more than 300 in a bomb and shooting attack. A car bomb near the office of the prime minister killed eight people and injured at least 200. Less than two hours later, on the island of Utøya, Breivik opened fire on youth camp attendees, killing 69 and injuring 32. The attack is believed to be the deadliest mass shooting by a lone individual in modern history. It was also the deadliest attack in Norway since the Second World War.

In July 2011, the government published the third version of Contest, which set out the threat the country faced and priorities for dealing with it through to 2016.

Also in 2011, Lord Carlile of Berriew carried out a review into the Prevent strategy, after which the strategy was updated to deal more proportionately with all kinds of terrorist threat and concentrate on some aspects of non-violent extremism which create an environment conducive to radicalisation.

In December, the Terrorism Prevention and Investigations Measures Act 2011 introduced the new system of terrorism prevention and investigation measures.

These measures were intended to protect the public from people who pose a real terrorist threat to security but who cannot be prosecuted, or in the case of foreign nationals, deported.

In December, six people were killed and 125 injured in an attack in Liège, Belgium and on the same day, two people were killed and 3 injured in a racially-motivated attack in Florence, Italy.

2012

In March 2012, a radical Islamist killed seven people in Montauban and Toulouse in France. In July, a suicide bomber believed to be affiliated with Hezbollah, killed five Israeli tourists and a bus driver in Burgas, Bulgaria.

2012 was the year of the London Olympics, with one of the biggest security operations the country has ever seen. The final cost of the security operation was estimated to be £553 million, and the event played out without major incident.

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 repealed the stop and search powers known as ‘Section 44’. It also reduced the maximum period that a terrorist suspect could be detained before they are charged or released from 28 to 14 days.

2013

In April 2013, an Isamist attack killed three people and injured hundreds at the finish line of the Bostom Marathon. A police officer was killed later in the day.

In May, Fusilier Lee Rigby was killed in Woolwich.

2014

In February 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula and then annexed it.

In April 2014, 276 school girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok, Nigeria, by Boko Haram and in May, a 22-year-old killed six people in what was described as a misogynistic terror attack in Isla Vista, California. Also in May, four people were killed in an attack at the Jewish Museum of Belgium, in Brussels.

In July, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing everyone on board.

Towards the end of the year, IS carried out a number of high-profile beheadings, including British aid workers, David Haines and Alan Henning.

In December, 17 people were taken hostage in a Lindt café in Sydney Australia. Two of the hostages were killed.

2015

2015 was a horrific year of attacks in France. In January 2015, 12 people were killed and 11 injured in an attack at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The magazine had previously been attacked in 2011 and would be targeted again in 2020. A couple of days later, a man attacked a kosher market, held people hostage and killed four of them.

In June, an attacker decapitated one person and caused an explosion at a factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier.

In November, 130 people were killed and 368 injured in coordinated attacks across Paris. Three suicide bombers attacked outside the Stade de France, during an international football match, while another group of attackers fired at cafes and restaurants in Paris. 90 people were killed at a concert in the Bataclan theatre. This was the deadliest attack in Europe since the Madrid 2004 attack.

In the UK, the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act came into power in February. It included powers to help the UK respond to the threat of terrorism.

2016

In March 2016, 32 people were killed in coordinated terrorist attacks around Brussels, claimed by Islamic State. It was the deadliest attack in Belgium since the Second World War. The attackers were members of the same cell that had carried out the Paris attacks in 2014/

In June, the UK voted to leave the EU and prime minister David Cameron announced his resignation.

Also in June, a lone wolf who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State killed 49 people in a shooting at Pulse gay nightclub.

The same month, MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist.

In July, 86 people were killed and more than 400 injured after a truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In November, the Investigatory Powers Act came into force. The Act introduced new powers, and restated existing ones, for British intelligence agencies and law enforcement to carry out targeted interception of communications, bulk collection of communications data, and bulk interception of communications.

In December, 13 people were killed and 55 injured in a truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin.

There were other Islamist attacks that year, in Würzburg, Germany; Munich, Germany; Ansbach, Germany; Normandy, France; Charleroi, Belgium; Brussels, Belgium; Hamburg, Germany.

2017

2017 was the worst year in recent memory for terrorist attacks in the UK.

In March, Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people and injuring more than 50. He then drove into the gates of the Palace of Westminster and fatally stabbed a police officer.

In May, 22 people were killed and more than 800 injured in the Manchester Arena attack.

In June, 8 people were killed and 48 injured in the London Bridge attack.

Also in June, a man drove a van at pedestrians near Finsbury Park mosque, killing one and injuring 11.

30 people were injured in September, in an islamist attack at Parsons Green tube station.

The Barcelona attacks in August killed 16 and injured more than 150. A van drove into crowds in La Rambla, killing 13 people. One of the attackers fled, killed a man and stole his car, which was then driven into police officers. A few hours later, another group of men, belived to be members of the same cell, drove into pedestrians in Cambrils, killing a woman.

2018

In March 2018, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Dawn Sturgess was killed after finding the discarded bottle.

In April, 11 people were killed when a van was driven into pedestrians in Toronto, Canada. The attacker was a self-described Incel.

In October, Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Turkey.

In December, there was a shooting near a Christmas market in Strasbourg.

2019

The Christchurch attack in March 2019 killed 51 people and injured 40 at two mosques. The attacker Brenton Tarrant published a manifesto online and cited Anders Behring Breivik as an inspiration.

Theresa May resigned as prime minister and was replaced by Boris Johnson.

Two people were killed by Usman Khan at London Bridge in November.

2020

Following the Brexit Referendum, the UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020.

In January 2020, two inmates at Whitemoor prison, wearing fake suicide vests, stabbed a prison officer.

In February 2020, a man stabbed two people in Streatham and three people were killed in an attack in Reading.

Covid began dramatically spreading around the world in 2020. Lockdowns became the norm, and conspiracy theories spread quickly.

In October a teacher was beheaded after apparently showing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad to his students.

2021

2021 began with the storming of the Capitol in Washington, following claims that the election had been stolen.

In August, the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban rapidly took control of the country. Since then, they have banned girls going to school, imposed new dress codes on women, banned women from some public spaces and even banned women from talking in public.

In October 2021, MP David Amess was stabbed outside a constituency meeting in Leigh-on-Sea.

In November, there was an explosion in a taxi outside Liverpool Women's hospital.

2022

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, sparking the largest European conflict since the second world war. Millions of Ukrainians were displaced and tens of thousands of people killed.

In July 2022, following a series of scandals, dozens of staff resigned from Boris Johnson’s administration, Johnson then resigned. In September, Liz Truss became prime minister– two days before Queen Elizabeth II died.

Following a disastrous mini budget, Truss resigned after 45 days. Rishi Sunak became the fourth prime minister in as many years.

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in Nara City.

In October 2022, a man threw petrol bombs at a migrant processing centre in Dover.

2023

Finalnd joined NATO in April 2023.

In October 2023, two Swedish football fans were killed in Brussels.

On 7 October, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing over a thousand people and taking around 250 hostage. Since then, Israel has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza and also invaded Lebanon.

2024

2024 saw the return of a Labour government, with the conservatives suffering huge losses. A short while later, three girls were murdered at a Taylor Swift dance class. Misinformation about the attack led to devastating riots across the country, with hundreds of people already having been sent to prison for their part.

Following two assassination attempts. Donald Trump was reelected as president of the United States.

The new government has made progress on Martyn's Law, with it being introduced to parliament and stipulations from the Online Safety Act have come into effect.

Meanwhile, conflict has esclated in the Middle East and Ukraine.

2025.

Giong into 2025, we can expect further progress on Martyn's Law. Conflicts around the world remain onigoing with no sign of any ease.

While we are no longer continuing to publish magazines, CTB will keep you updated on the website, with regular news, features, and events.