On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a warning regarding a potential public safety threat from violent extremists following the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The agencies expressed concern about the possibility of copycat or retaliatory attacks, citing the continuing appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic among aspiring violent extremists.
They highlighted that previous attackers, inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), have used a variety of vehicles—rented, stolen, or personally owned—to carry out attacks in both the United States and abroad, noting that these vehicles are relatively easy to acquire.
The deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans involved a 42-year-old US military veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who rammed a truck into a crowd of revelers, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen people.
In the aftermath of the attack, the FBI, DHS, and the US National Counterterrorism Center issued additional warnings about the possibility of further copycat attacks.
The agencies emphasized that vehicle-ramming attacks are particularly appealing to would-be assailants due to the ease with which vehicles can be obtained and the minimal skills required to execute such attacks.
The agencies also cautioned law enforcement and private security firms to remain vigilant, noting that in many previous vehicle-ramming incidents, attackers were armed and continued their assaults with firearms or other weapons such as knives.
Jabbar, who was killed by police during the attack, had reportedly become increasingly drawn to religious extremism in recent years. This shift was exacerbated by mounting financial and familial pressures.
He drove a rental truck from Houston to New Orleans, posting videos online professing his support for the Islamic State along the way. Upon reaching the city, he drove around a police car, onto a sidewalk, and down a pedestrian-filled street hours after the New Year began.
While many cities employ physical barriers, such as cylindrical bollards, to prevent vehicle ramming attacks, New Orleans had 11 of these 16 barriers down for repairs on New Year’s Day, including the ones at the foot of Bourbon Street, where the attack took place.