The Shadow attack on Babylon 5 took place in December, 2260, when the Shadows mounted an open attack on the station. This occurred while John Sheridan was off-station, being taken to Z'ha'dum by Anna Sheridan. While he was gone, the Shadows intended to remove his support mechanism: the station itself. They called off their attack upon receiving word of the destruction taking place on their homeworld. As the Shadows pulled out, they captured Michael Garibaldi as a pawn for the next phase of the war.