(New York, N.Y.) - At least 15 people, including the perpetrator, were killed in the early morning on New Year’s Day in New Orleans when a pickup truck plowed into the crowd on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets. The vehicle was flying an ISIS flag, and the driver has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and army veteran living in Texas. Jabbar reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS in videos posted on Facebook prior to the attack. The FBI has confirmed that the attack was inspired by the terrorist organization, but at this time has ruled out that there were multiple actors involved. However, details that have emerged do suggest that the attack required some significant planning, including truck rental, arms and ammunition and body armor purchases, and explosives construction. Jabbar built at least two IEDs which were planted in coolers at the scene and later safely detonated by authorities.
Expert Analysis:
CEP Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler:
“Attacks like this are a prime example of the destructive role that social media can play in facilitating ideologically-inspired violence. For years ISIS has been calling for attacks just like this one: inspiring individual actors and small cells without having to incur any cost or risk. This attack in particular echoes ISIS’ online propaganda, even down to the details of the flag’s placement on the truck, which mirrors a widely-circulated photo that accompanied an ISIS propaganda message from 2017 in which the terror group took responsibility for a vehicular attack in London.
Attacks like this have increased to a worrying degree in recent years. As ISIS gains physical ground in Africa especially, we are seeing more and more of their influence spread in the form of attacks in major Western cities, while at the same time, social media corporations have increasingly demonstrated not only negligence but outright indifference to the harm their services cause to society.”
CEP Researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch:
“The New Orleans New Year’s Eve truck attack, committed by an individual who supported ISIS, follows advice for attacks previously released by the terrorist group. ISIS publications and propaganda spread online have advocated attacking outdoor celebrations with rented vehicles, using firearms, and announcing one’s support for the terrorist group while committing the assault.
Online ISIS supporters, while advising waiting for an official ISIS claim of responsibility, praised the attack, especially that 2025 began with a ‘bang,’ spread publicly available news footage, and even noted that the attacker appeared to have followed ISIS’s advice for committing vehicular attacks.”
CEP Resources:
To read CEP’s report on ISIS, please click here.
To read CEP’s report on Vehicles as Weapons Of Terror, please click here.