In the early hours of the new year, at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured in an attack in the US city of New Orleans. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Deen Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran, drove a rented pickup truck into the crowd. According to the FBI, Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with police, was a lone terrorist who had pledged allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS in an online video posted hours before the attack.
Five videos were posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account. In the first video, Jabbar said that he had originally planned to harm his family and friends, but he was worried that the news headline would not focus on “war between believers and unbelievers.”
The attack is the deadliest ISIS-inspired attack on US soil since the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, which killed 49 people.
Lone-Wolf Strategy
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 spread online. This lone wolf methodology poses a challenge to traditional counterterrorism strategies, which rely heavily on infiltrating networks and disrupting communications.
Lone offenders typically use “easy-access” methods such as vehicle ramming, edged weapons or firearms to cause 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 possible lone-wolf attacks during the holiday season. Despite these warnings, the New Orleans tragedy could not be avoided.
online extremism
Following its territorial defeat in 2019, ISIS has turned its attention to the digital sphere, creating what counterterrorism experts describe as a “digital caliphate.” This online network uses social media, encrypted messaging apps, and dark web platforms to radicalize individuals, share propaganda, and provide tactical guidance for attacks.
Investigators investigating the New Orleans attack found videos that Jabbar had posted online hours before the attack, pledging loyalty to ISIS and calling for violence. Although his radicalization process is under investigation, early findings suggest he may have been influenced by online platforms where extremist content flourishes.
Social media companies have made progress in removing extremist content, but the rapid transfer of such materials over encrypted platforms poses a challenge.
domestic fundamentalism
Jabbar was a US military veteran with no prior known ties to extremist networks. According to authorities, his radicalization occurred relatively quickly and was probably motivated 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 radicalize individuals.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the man behind the assassination attempt on US President-elect Donald Trump in July last year, acted as a lone wolf. The miscreants were not part of any terrorist group, nor were the police able to establish any link between them and extremist ideology.
Experts warn that the psychological profiles of lone-actor terrorists often reveal a combination of personal instability and ideological alignment with extremist causes.
