2025 is off to an interesting start...
On Tuesday morning (12/31), AlertsUSA subscribers were issued a general information alert warning that law enforcement in major cities across the US and EU were on high alert in advance of New Year's Eve celebrations and urging caution and vigilance at public events.
Early Wednesday morning (1/1), AlertsUSA subscribers were notified of a vehicle ramming attack with gunfire on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. In this incident, a man driving a rented pickup drove around police vehicles and barriers intended to block vehicular traffic and proceeded to race down Bourbon Street, intentionally mowing down revelers. Once the vehicle crashed, the driver exited and engaged in a gun battle with police before being fatally shot. As of the time of this report's preparation Friday(1/3), 15 people were confirmed dead, and at least thirty-five others were injured, including two police officers.
The suspect has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen living in Houston, Texas and a convert to Islam. Jabbar served in the U.S. Army for ten years as a human resources and information technology specialist and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009.
According to a statement issued by the FBI, an Islamic State flag was found on the back of Jabbar's truck. As of the time of this report's preparation Friday evening, the Islamic State has yet to claim any responsibility.
Additional firearms and an electronic transmitter were discovered in the Jabbar’s vehicle. Two improvised explosive devices (IED), both contained in Coleman-like coolers, were also discovered in the French Quarter and neutralized by E O D specialists. The FBI believes Jabbar intended to use the transmitter found in the truck to denote the devices.
Late this week, it was revealed that Jabbar traveled to Egypt in 2023. Investigators are working to determine what Jabbar did during his month in country, why he went and with whom he interacted while there.
As an interesting side note, federal investigators say Jabbar used a very rare explosive compound in the two cooler-based IEDs. Without providing specifics, investigators have stated that the compound has never been used in a U.S. or European terror attack.
The FBI initially did not believe Jabbar acted alone. However, detailed reviews of surveillance video appears to show Jabbar himself placing the explosives, and investigators say they no longer believed that others were involved in carrying out the attack.
On Thursday (1/2), FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia delivered a briefing on the investigation into the New Orleans attack. The core of his statement was as follows:
"This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act...We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar."
Also on Thursday, AlertsUSA subscribers were notified that Islamic State supporters were recirculating a threat poster via social media encouraging vehicle-ramming attacks. The graphic below is self-explanatory.
Growing Concern Over Copycat Attacks
US law enforcement and intelligence agencies are concerned about copycat attacks following the New Orleans incident. This, according to a joint intelligence bulletin issued Friday by the FBI, DHS, and the National Counterterrorism Center which was sent to over ~18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country.
Quoting from the bulletin:
"Such attacks are likely to remain attractive for aspiring attackers given a vehicles' ease of acquisition and the low skill threshold necessary to conduct an attack. Law enforcement should be aware that in many cases attackers have conducted vehicle-ramming attacks with secondary weapons, and may continue the attack with edged weapons, firearms, or IEDs after the vehicle has stopped."
RELATED SAFETY / SECURITY RESOURCES
Vehicle Ramming Mitigation Resources - CISA
Vehicle Ramming Self-Assessment Tool- CISA
Protecting Patrons in Outdoor Eating Venues - CISA
Vehicle Incident Prevention and Mitigation Security Guide - CISA
Considerations for Responding to an IED - DNI (PDF)
IED Manufacturing Components and Indicators - DNI (PDF)
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the national and international threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of any new alerts, warnings, or advisories impacting the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant. |
