New Orleans Terror Attack - January 1, 2025

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New Orleans Terror Attack - January 1, 2025

Date: January 2, 2025

Subject: Analysis of the New Orleans terror attack based on available reports.

Executive Summary:

On New Year's Day, a deadly terror attack occurred in New Orleans where a lone actor, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. The FBI has classified the attack as an act of terrorism and has determined that Jabbar was "100% inspired by ISIS." The attack involved the use of a vehicle, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and firearms, with Jabbar dying in a shootout with police. This incident is the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since the 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. While investigations are ongoing, the focus is now on understanding Jabbar’s path to radicalization, how he planned the attack, and bolstering security for upcoming events in the city.

Key Themes and Findings:

• Lone Actor Terrorism:The FBI has concluded that Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone, with no evidence of co-conspirators. As stated by Christopher Raia of the FBI's counterterrorism division: "There is just nothing to indicate — through call records, through anything on those devices, through interviews, through anything in our systems — that he was aided in this attack by anyone."
• This aligns with a prior Department of Homeland Security warning about the threat of "lone offenders" using simple tactics.
• ISIS Inspiration:The FBI explicitly stated that Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS.” Christopher Raia said “he was 100 percent inspired by ISIS.”
• Jabbar posted videos on Facebook before the attack expressing his support for ISIS. The FBI recovered five videos posted to Facebook, including one in which he said he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but he was concerned that news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.
• An Islamic State flag was recovered from his rented vehicle.
• Attack Details:Jabbar used a rented pickup truck, acquired via Turo on Dec 30, driving it from Houston to New Orleans on New Year's Eve, and ultimately drove it into a crowd on Bourbon Street.
• He strategically deployed IEDs disguised in coolers at the intersection of Bourbon and New Orleans streets and another location two blocks away.
• The attack involved ramming the truck into pedestrians, followed by a shootout with police. "Police say the New Orleans ramming suspect shot at officers after crashing his vehicle. Officers shot back and killed him."
• Suspect Background:Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, was a veteran who served in the Army from 2007 to 2020, with a deployment to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010.
• He served as a human resource and information technology specialist, and received awards for good conduct, achievement, and completing parachute school.
• Jabbar had a history of prior l

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