Terrorism in Saudi Arabia
The risk of terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia over the past years can be classified as low. Compared to other countries so far here are are only a few incedents. Over the past 5 years a total number of 250 terrorist incidents has been recorded, in which 313 people have been killed and 516 injured. Among them were 17 suicide acts.In 3 incedents a total of 3 people have been kidnapped or taken as hostage, though a ransom was rarely (1 times) extorted.
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Most frequent attack targets in Saudi Arabia
(2013 to 2017)| Target | Attacks | Killed | Injured | Hostages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private citizens | 107 | 63 | 225 | 1 |
| Police | 92 | 185 | 104 | 1 |
| Military | 21 | 8 | 14 | 0 |
| Government | 14 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Religious institutions | 13 | 74 | 187 | 0 |
| Business | 12 | 7 | 21 | 1 |
| Airports & Aircraft | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Educational institution | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Utilities | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Food or water supply | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Most affected regions
(2013 to 2017)| Region | Attacks | Killed | Injured | Hostages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jazan | 80 | 54 | 138 | 0 |
| Najran | 55 | 116 | 91 | 0 |
| Eastern | 52 | 75 | 213 | 3 |
| Asir | 26 | 35 | 48 | 0 |
| Riyadh | 13 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Makkah | 11 | 6 | 14 | 0 |
| Northern Borders | 2 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Hail | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Madinah | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Northern | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tabuk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Terrorist organisations in Saudi Arabia
| Organisation | Attacks | Killed | Injured | Hostages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islamic State | 29 | 91 | 196 | 0 |
| Al-Qaida | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Popular Resistance Committees | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Jaish al-Mukhtar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shia Muslim extremists | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
All information sourced from the "National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism" (START) and its Global Terrorism Database. An act of terrorism is concidered every incident which is aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal, but not for pure profit motives. In addition these incidents must not be legitimized by warfare activities, listet in the Geneva Conventions of 1949.