The attacks against three churches and four hotels in Sri Lanka on April 21, Easter Sunday, rocked the island nation, reverberating around the globe. While the attack location — Sri Lanka — was a surprise, a holiday attack of some kind had been anticipated. In fact, Stratfor's Threat Lens team had warned clients of the elevated threat of attacks against houses of worship over Passover and Easter. The high death toll in the Sri Lanka bombings generated much media attention, and some reports presented the attacks either as unprecedented, or as a gauge of the Islamic State's status. But neither of those assertions were accurate. Global Insurgency The Sunni jihadist movement has been a global phenomenon since 1988 with the creation of al Qaeda . Founded by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi, al Qaeda has always attracted members from around the world and had operations spanning the globe.