Police identified 42-year-old US Army veteran Shamsud Din Jabbar as the attacker behind the vehicle ramming that took place during the early morning hours on 01 January 2025 in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He was shot and killed by police after engaging in a shootout. He was reportedly wearing body armor and camouflage fatigues. The attack is similar to the vehicle ramming that unfolded in Germany just last month at a Christmas market and may have been inspired by that incident.
Global Guardian's December Risk Barometer highlighted the increased risk to Christmas markets, religious gatherings, and other large public events over the holiday season as individuals or groups see them as an opportunity to conduct symbolically valuable attacks. This New Year's celebration attack is a tragic reminder of this risk.
Situation Report
- The suspect is dead and police do not believe there are additional threat actors.
- Security has been increased in New Orleans.
- Reports indicate the suspect was an Islamic State sympathizer and had some kind of Islamist extremist flag on the truck's flagpole, possibly the Islamic State (ISIS) flag.
- The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
- Bomb squad members neutralized multiple IEDs found in the vehicle.
- The incident comes just a few weeks after the Christmas market vehicle ramming attack in Magdeburg, Germany that left multiple people dead and dozens injured.
Analysis
- The attack bears a striking resemblance to previous Islamist extremist attacks using vehicles, such as Berlin 2016, Nice 2016, Edmonton 2017, Stockholm 2017, and Magdeburg 2024.
- The suspect reportedly rented an F150 Lightning, an EV truck that weighs over 6000 pounds and may have been chosen to inflict maximum damage to pedestrians.
- This attack could inspire copycat threat actors to carry out similar vehicle rammings or other styles of attack.
Recommendations
- Maintain vigilance when visiting large public events over the holiday season.
- Identify safe areas, bollard installations, and ingress and egress points both for yourself and for possible attackers.
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