New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana became victims of terrorism when a driver sped around a law enforcement blockade and barreled a rented Ford truck down the popular street, killing 14 people and injuring at least 30 others (AP News). The driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a U.S. citizen, Army veteran, and convert to Islam from Houston, Texas. Social media posts from the attacker state his allegiance to the terrorist organization ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) (New York Times). The FBI reports an ISIS flag, along with various weapons and potential IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were found in the truck. After crashing the truck, the attacker opened fire on law enforcement and was fatally shot during the firefight. The attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism and the search for more information is ongoing (FBI).
Date of event: January 1, 2025
Impact:
Related Resources:
- Keeping Soft Targets and Crowded Places Safe from Mass-Casualty Attacks: Insights from a Landscape Assessment
- Improving the Security of Soft Targets and Crowded Places: A Landscape Assessment
- Handbook of Terrorism Prevention and Preparedness
- Predicting Domestic Extremism and Targeted Violence: A Machine Learning Approach
HSDL Featured Topics: Countering Violent Extremism | Online Extremism | Domestic Terrorism in the US | Mass Gatherings
HSDL Search: Extremism | IS (organization) | Islamic Radicalism
Photo Credit: William A. Morgan via Shutterstock