New Delhi:

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, an attack in the US city of New Orleans left at least 15 dead and dozens injured. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US Army veteran, drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd. Jabbar, who died in a shoot-out with police, was a lone-wolf terrorist who had pledged allegiance to the terror group ISIS in online videos posted just hours before the assault, according to the FBI.

There were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account. In the first video, Jabbar said he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned that the news headline would not focus on “war between the believers and disbelievers.”

This attack marked the deadliest ISIS-inspired assault on US soil since the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, which saw 49 people killed.

Lone-Wolf Tactics

The Islamic State has not officially claimed responsibility for the New Orleans attack. Unlike coordinated terrorist cells, lone wolves like Jabbar operate independently, often inspired by extremist propaganda disseminated online. This modus operandi of lone wolves is a challenge to traditional counterterrorism strategies, which rely heavily on infiltrating networks and intercepting communications.

Lone offenders typically employ “easy-access” methods such as vehicle ramming, edged weapons, or firearms to inflict mass casualties. The Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a bulletin on December 6, 2024, warning law enforcement agencies about potential lone-wolf attacks during the holiday season. Despite these warnings, the New Orleans tragedy could not be averted.

Online Extremism

Following its territorial defeat in 2019, ISIS has shifted its focus to the digital realm, establishing what counterterrorism experts describe as a “Digital Caliphate.” This online network uses social media, encrypted messaging apps, and dark web platforms to radicalise individuals, share propaganda, and provide tactical guidance for attacks.

Investigators probing the New Orleans attack found videos Jabbar posted online just hours before the assault, pledging loyalty to ISIS and calling for violence. While his radicalisation process remains under investigation, early findings suggest he may have been influenced by online platforms where extremist content flourishes.

Social media companies have made strides in removing extremist content, but the rapid migration of such materials to encrypted platforms poses a challenge.

Domestic Radicalisation

Jabbar was a US Army veteran with no prior known ties to extremist networks. According to authorities, his radicalisation appeared to occur relatively quickly and was likely driven by personal grievances.

This pattern mirrors other recent cases in which individuals have turned to extremist ideologies as a means of finding purpose or expressing anger. Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the Central Asia-based affiliate of ISIS, has been particularly effective in leveraging online platforms to radicalise individuals.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man behind an assassination attempt on US President-elect Donald Trump in July last year, acted as a lone wolf. Crooks was not part of any terror group, neither were the police able to establish any connection between him and extremist ideologies.

Experts have warned that the psychological profiles of lone-actor terrorists often reveal a combination of personal instability and ideological alignment with extremist causes.

At least 10 people are feared dead and 30 suffered injuries after a pickup truck ploughed into a crowd in the southern US city of New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Some reports said that the driver of the truck also fired at the crowd and exchanged gunfire with the police.

Officials said a crowd was celebrating when the pickup truck drove into it at high speed at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Street in a part of the city known as the French Quarter. 

NOLAREADY: There has been a mass casualty incident on Canal and Bourbon Street. Get yourself away from the area. Visit https://t.co/AyuRn38guC for details.

— NOLA Ready (@nolaready) January 1, 2025

“The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street. There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS and 10 fatalities.  Public safety partners are responding on scene,” New Orleans’ emergency preparedness campaign NOLA Ready said on its website.

Police said the driver tried to hit “as many people” as possible and two police personnel were also shot and wounded.

Emergency authorities said the incident took place at approximately 3:15 am local time, news agency AFP reported. At that hour, the French Quarter, renowned for its bars, restaurants and jazz history would have been packed with revellers.

CBS News television reported witnesses saying the truck rammed into the crowd before its driver jumped out and started exchanging gunfire with police.

A white truck crashed through a barricade “at a high rate of speed,” witnesses Jim and Nicole Mowrer said. “Once it was past us, we did hear gunfire, saw police running that direction… Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of — several people who had been hit, (we) wanted to see what we could do to help,” Nicole Mowrer was quoted as saying in the AFP report.

New Orleans is one of the most visited destinations in the United States and the attack came shortly before the city hosts a major football game, known as the Sugar Bowl, featuring teams from the University of Georgia and Notre Dame.

The city police department had announced staffing at “100 percent, with an additional 300 officers assisting from partner law enforcement agencies,” including on horseback and using unmarked units.

The iconic French Quarter listed special deals for New Year’s, including LGBTQ parties and drag cabaret close to where the incident took place.

The incident comes days after five people were killed in a similar car-ramming attack in Germany. More than 200 people were also injured in the December 20 attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg, which was allegedly carried out by a man of Saudi origin. The attacker has been arrested and police are investigating whether he is mentally ill.