A grim list: Some notable attacks on houses of worship around the world in recent years

By The Associated Press

Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred.

Yet high-profile deadly attacks in recent years — with targets including synagogues in England and Pennsylvania, two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and a Catholic church in the United States hosting a Mass for school children — have intensified anxiety and outright fear among clergy and worshippers worldwide.

Here is a list of some of the notable attacks that have occurred on houses of worship in the past 15 years.

Australia

Dec. 6, 2024: As part of a wave of antisemitic attacks, a synagogue in Melb