> Two coordinated attacks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 10, 2016, that resulted in at least 38 dead, mostly police officers, and more than 160 wounded. The first attack targeted a police bus, leaving the Besiktas Vodafone Arena, using a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), following a Turkish league soccer game. Moments later, a suicide operative detonated his vest at a nearby park after being stopped by police, according to press reports. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), a splinter group of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), claimed responsibility for the attack.
> Kosovo police disrupted a Nov. 12, 2016, plot on Shkoder, Albania, directed by ISIL, possibly involving as many as 19 operatives, to target a 2018 World Cup qualifying match between Albania and Israel at Loro Borici Stadium. The alleged plotters reportedly discussed “synchronized terror attacks,” which included attacking the Israeli national team or sports fans with firearms and explosives, or smuggling explosives into the stadium, according to press reports citing unnamed police investigators.
> Saudi Arabian police disrupted on Oct. 11, 2016, ISIL-directed plot involving four operatives who planned to detonate a VBIED inside a parking garage next to Al-Jawhara Football Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, during a World Cup qualifier match between the Saudi and UAE national teams, according to official statements issued by the Saudi government.
> Belgian police arrested three suspects on June 18, 2016, in connection with a likely ISIL-affiliated plot to attack fans gathered in either a public square or bar in Brussels to watch a Euro 2016 soccer match scheduled to take place in France on June 18, 2016, between the Ireland and Belgium national teams , according to press reports citing Belgian officials.