Vehicle attacks on the rise around the globe

At least eight people died today in New York City.

ByABC News
October 31, 2017, 7:36 PM

— -- This afternoon's deadly van attack in lower Manhattan is the latest in a growing number of vehicle-based terrorist attacks around the globe.

For more than a year, ISIS has urged its followers to carry out such vehicle attacks, even providing specific instructions on choosing the ideal vehicle and targets, including large outdoor festivals and pedestrian-congested streets.

The deadliest recent attack happened in the south of France, when 84 people were killed after a truck filled with explosives rammed into a busy promenade during a celebration.

Here is a review of the last eight vehicle-related attacks, which took place in the past 16 months.

Aug. 17, 2017: Barcelona

Thirteen people were killed in Barcelona, Spain, in August when a white van mowed down a crowd of pedestrians along the city's famous La Rambla boulevard, a popular tourist destination that was packed with people at the time. At least 100 others were injured, according to police.

June 19, 2017: London

The attack occurred just after midnight prayers outside the Muslim Welfare House near the Finsbury Park Mosque in North London. One person died at the scene, and at least 11 others were injured. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the episode was "quite clearly an attack on Muslims."

June 3, 2017: London

A van swerved into pedestrians on London Bridge, near Parliament, before the occupants of the vehicle fled on foot to Borough Market and started stabbing people. Seven people were killed, and 48 others were injured. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.

April 7, 2017: Stockholm

At least four people were killed, and more than a dozen others were wounded after a stolen truck plowed into a crowded street in Stockholm.

March 22, 2017: London

Three people died, including a police officer, and at least 29 other people were hospitalized after an attack in London. The attack began when a driver struck pedestrians and three police officers on Westminster Bridge, London's Metropolitan Police said. The suspect, 52-year-old Briton Khalid Masood, was shot and killed by police. ISIS called Masood "a soldier of the Islamic State."

Dec. 19, 2016: Berlin

At least 12 people were killed, and dozens more were injured after a truck drove into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin. A male passenger in the truck died at the scene, authorities said, and is being counted among the 12 fatalities.

Nov. 28, 2016: Ohio State University, Columbus

Ohio State University student Abdul Razak Ali Artan was shot dead by police after he plowed into pedestrians with a car and then stabbed multiple people with a butcher's knife at the OSU campus in Columbus, officials said. At least 11 people were injured.

July 14, 2016: Nice

Eighty-four people — including several children — died in the French city of Nice after a terrorist drove a truck, loaded with grenades and other arms, into a large crowd during Bastille Day celebrations. The attack left an apocalyptic scene, according to witnesses, on the city's famed Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the Mediterranean Sea. The French Riviera city was subsequently put on lockdown.