From Bondi Beach attack to Peshawar school massacre: 10 major mass shooting incidents that shocked the World
From Australia's Bondi Beach to Peshawar, mass shootings and terror attacks across Australia, India, the US, and other regions have killed hundreds over two decades. Here are 10 incidents that exposed the global scale of extremist violence and public vulnerability.
Bondi Beach, Australia
On 14 December 2025, two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah menorah‑lighting event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 16 people, including one attacker, and injuring more than 40. Police described the father‑and‑son assailants’ attack as a targeted antisemitic hate crime; a suspected home‑made bomb was later removed from their car.
Pahalgam terror attack, India
A major terror attack took place in the Baisaran Valley (often called "Mini Switzerland") near Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025. The attack targeted a group of tourists, resulting in the deaths of 26 people (25 tourists and one local) and injuring approximately 20 others.
Crocus City Hall Attack, Russia
On March 22, 2024, four Islamic State-linked attackers carried out a coordinated assault at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, combining mass shooting, arson and bombing that killed at least 149 people and injured more than 600 at a music venue.
Las Vegas, US
On October 1, 2017, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire from his 32nd-floor Mandalay Bay hotel room on a crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 58 and injuring hundreds. The gunfire lasted about 10 minutes before Paddock died by suicide in his room. It remains the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in modern US history.
Orlando, US
On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old US citizen, opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and wounding more than 50. Mateen claimed allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack and took hostages before police killed him in a firefight. The massacre was one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history and a major attack on the LGBTQ+ community.
Garissa University College Attack, Kenya
On April 2, 2015, four gunmen from the Al-Qaeda-linked group Al-Shabaab attacked Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya. The attack killed 148 people, including 142 students, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 US embassy bombings.
Paris Attacks, France
In November 2015, coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, including mass shootings at a concert hall and public venues, killed 130 people and wounded hundreds in a devastating assault claimed by ISIS.
Peshawar school massacre, Pakistan
Terrorist attack in which seven heavily armed Taliban fighters stormed an army-run primary and secondary school in Peshawar, Pakistan, on December 16, 2014, killing 150 people, of whom at least 134 were students. This tragic incident remained a rallying symbol in Pakistan’s debates over militancy and school security.
Mumbai terrorist attacks, India
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks were a series of coordinated attacks carried out by 10 militants linked to the Pakistan-based extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba between November 26 and 29. The attackers struck crowded and prominent sites, including hotels, a railway station, hospitals and a Jewish centre, killing 166 people and injuring nearly 300. Indian security forces killed nine attackers, while Ajmal Amir Kasab was captured, later sentenced to death and executed in 2012.
Blacksburg, US
The 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho went on a shooting spree at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, on April 16, 2007, killing 33 people, including himself, and injuring 17 others. Cho first shot classmates in a dormitory before returning to a classroom building, where he methodically targeted students and faculty before taking his own life. The Virginia Tech shooting became one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.
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