The United States is no stranger to terrorist attacks. According to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a total of 856 terrorist attacks took place in the United States between 1995 and 2019.

Terrorist attacks killed 3633 people in the US between 1995 and 2019, out of which 3014 people died in 2001 alone. The figure for 2001 is so high because that’s the year when 9/11 took place, killing 2996 people, as per official records. 

Also read: 9/11 Flight 93 crash: Story of US civilians who fought terrorism mid-air

While we stand at the 21st year of the 9/11 attacks, here’s a list of the five worst terrorist attacks in the US. 

The Oklahoma City bombings

The bombings in Oklahoma city took place on April 19, 1995. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building- a government complex, was bombed using a truck full of explosives at 9:02 AM. The explosion killed 169 civilians and injured 675. The total damage caused by the explosion is estimated at $652 million. 

Egypt Air Flight 990 crash

An Egypt Air flight that flew between Cairo and New York crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, around 100 km away from Nantucket island near Massachusetts on October 31, 1991. Investigations into the crash found that the engines of the aircraft were intentionally shut down which led to the crash killing all 217 people on board.

Orlando Nightclub shooting

The 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, on June 12, 2016, killed 49 people and injured 53. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. He was killed in a three-hour standoff with the police. 

Also read: 9/11: Why Al-Qaeda chose this date for attack

2017 Las Vegas shooting

On October 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man, opened fire at a crowd gathered to attend the Route 91 Harvest music festival. He fired close to 1000 bullets from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel killing 60 people. It is the worst domestic shooting incident to ever take place in the US. 

The 9/11 attacks

The 9/11 attacks are by far the worst terrorist attack to ever take place in the US. It was conducted by the Islamic terrorist network Al-Qaeda with Osama Bin Laden at the helm of operations. Two aircraft carrying explosives hit the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, leading to their instant crash.