New Report from Control Risks Shows Worldwide Islamist Terrorist Attacks Double Since the Emergence of IS

LONDON, June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The global threat posed by IS-inspired terrorism is growing and spreading, according to a report released today by Control Risks, the specialist global risk consultancy. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is still the most affected region, with 2,273 incidents between 30 April 2017 and 30 April 2018, but the number of attacks in MENA has fallen slightly compared with the previous 12 month period. In contrast, Asia Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa registered record numbers of incidents in the year to 30 April 2018, with 1,392 and 1,549 attacks respectively. Islamist attacks in European Union countries have been on a broadly upward trend in recent years with the EU recording 29 Islamist attacks between 30 April 2017 and 30 April 2018.

Comparing today's Islamist terror threat with the picture before IS emerged, Changing Patterns in Terrorism and the Threat to Business finds the number of attacks in 2013 - 2,676 -  to have almost doubled to 5,276 in the year to the end of April 2018.

Jonathan Wood, Senior Analyst, Transnational Threats at Control Risks said: "Islamic State is under pressure following territorial losses in the Middle East. But it is not yet defeated as either a military or ideological force. Meanwhile, we are seeing increasingly diverse terrorism threats globally - not necessarily more severe, but often less predictable."

The threat from Islamist terrorism in the Americas remains generally low and only manifest in North America, with two attacks in the US and two in Canada between 30 April 2017 and 30 April 2018.

Retail is the corporate sector most affected by terrorism globally 

Government facilities and the security forces generally bear the brunt of terror attacks across the world. If these two categories are lifted from the figures, the report reveals that:

Retail was the most targeted corporate sector globally. There were large variances though between the regions. In the EU, the entertainment sector was most targeted, followed by hospitality and rail.

In Asia Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa, road (vehicles and infrastructure) was the most targeted sector, followed by hospitality in Africa and education in Asia Pacific.

Other types of terrorism incidents outnumber attacks by Islamists, but are far less lethal 

Left-wing, right-wing, anarchist, and ethnic-nationalist actors combined carried out a greater number of attacks than Islamist terrorists worldwide in the year to 30 April 2018, but their methods and impacts were far less lethal. For example, Control Risks CORE data shows that of the 82 fatalities caused by terrorism in Europe in 2017, all but one were in attacks by Islamist extremists.

Attacks by anarchist militants (mostly in Greece, Germany, Italy and France) account for the majority of terrorism incidents in the EU. Control Risks recorded 99 anarchist attacks across the EU in the year to 30 April 2018. None of them was lethal and typically targeted government and law enforcement assets, but also causing property damage to businesses in the financial and retail sectors.

In contrast to Europe and the US, the lethal impact of left-wing militants in Latin America is much larger. Colombia continues to be the focal point of terrorist activity in Latin America, where the National Liberation Army (ELN) is waging an armed insurgency in rural parts of the country. In the 17 months following the FARC peace accord (November 2016), Control Risks CORE recorded 331 attacks by leftist guerrillas that left 138 people dead.

Download Changing Patterns in Terrorism and the Threat to Business

Notes to Editors:

About Control Risks

Control Risks is a specialist global risk consultancy that helps to create secure, compliant and resilient organisations in an age of ever-changing risk.

About CORE

Control Risks CORE is the essential online risk monitoring toolkit that allows our clients to evaluate opportunities and threats around the world.