London attack latest to use vehicle

LONDON • When an attacker plowed a vehicle into pedestrians Wednesday on London’s Westminster Bridge, it was the latest in a string of incidents in which drivers used their vehicles as weapons.

Some were orchestrated by extremist groups, others by unstable individuals with unclear motives. Radical groups have urged supporters to use any weapons at hand — including cars. The tactic presents a major challenge for security forces around the world.

❚ March 22, 2017: A vehicle mowed down pedestrians on London’s Westminster Bridge, killing two people and leaving others with injuries described as catastrophic. Around the same time, a knife-wielding attacker stabbed a police officer and was shot on the grounds outside Britain’s Parliament. Authorities were treating the attacks as a terrorist incident.

❚ Jan. 20, 2017: A man with a history of mentalhealth and drug-abuse issues drove into a street crowded with pedestrians in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, killing at

least four people, including a child, and injuring about 15 others. The 26-year-old man was arrested and police said the incident had no links to terrorism.

❚ Dec. 19, 2016: A young Tunisian rammed a truck into a crowded Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 and injuring dozens in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. It was the first mass-casualty attack by Islamic extremists carried out on German soil. Attacker Anis Amri was killed by police in Italy after an international manhunt.

❚ July 14, 2016: A Tunisian residing in France plowed a refrigerator truck through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86. Attacker Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who claimed allegiance to Islamic State, was killed by police.

❚ Oct. 20, 2014: A 25-yearold man drove his car into Canadian Air Force members near Montreal, killing one and injuring another. Authorities said the driver was a convert to Islam and had been flagged for jihadist ambitions. He was later shot dead by police.