Jihad Comes to New Orleans

National Review Online

Wednesday, January 01, 2025

 

A new year has begun with a horrific reminder that the longstanding challenge of jihadist terrorism has not disappeared.

 

At 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, a man rammed his rented Ford EV pick-up truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. The terrorist, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, intended that to be just the start of the carnage.

 

Jabbar, who was well-armed, was killed in the ensuing shootout with police, two of whom were wounded. Inside the truck, investigators found more firearms and improvised explosive devices. On the truck, Jabbar was flying a black flag of the type notoriously brandished by al-Qaeda, ISIS, and other jihadist groups.

 

As has become the FBI’s maddening custom, its lead agent in New Orleans was quick to proclaim that the bureau did not consider the patent terrorist attack to be a “terrorist event.” When that proved embarrassing, the bureau quickly walked it back: The FBI put out statements that the massacre not only was being investigated as a terrorist attack but was also believed to be only the first of a planned spree of strikes. Besides whatever devices were found in or around the truck, others were tracked down in the French Quarter and deactivated by FBI bomb techs.

 

The severity of the rampage and uncertainty about its scope persuaded officials to postpone for at least 24 hours the highly anticipated Sugar Bowl scheduled to be played at the Super Dome Wednesday night. Meantime, while there may be no connection, the FBI is also investigating as potential terrorism the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in front of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas, which happened just a few hours after the Bourbon Street attack. The driver who maneuvered the vehicle into the valet area at the front entrance of the hotel was killed in the explosion, and at least seven bystanders were injured.

 

As one would expect, attention has been focused on Jabbar. He was an American citizen raised in Texas who spent several years in the U.S. Army. Investigators are trying to determine whether he has operational ties to a terrorist group, such as ISIS — against which American forces carried out heavy strikes in Syria last month.

 

There are also questions about the local authorities’ security arrangements for New Year’s Eve celebrations. In the iconic streets where the attack occurred, security bollards — the stanchions many cities install in heavily trafficked locations to prevent pedestrians from being struck by motor vehicles — had been removed in a renovation project (in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to be played in the Super Dome next month). As a result, Jabbar needed only circumvent a parked police cruiser in order to plow the truck into the crowd.

 

There is a “fog of war” element in the early hours after terrorist attacks, and details will undoubtedly be refined in the coming days. What seems certain is that jihadist terror remains a national-security threat. Regardless of whether the terrorist in this instance was a homegrown jihadist indoctrinated while living in the United States, or an operative actually taking direction from overseas jihadists, there is no doubt that the Biden-era collapse of border security has made the nation more vulnerable.

 

It is imperative that whoever is running the Biden administration ensure a smooth transition that will render incoming Trump security officials ready on Day One to carry out their most vital duty — protecting Americans.