In the wake of the Assad regime’s collapse in Syria, concerns are growing over the resurgence of ISIS, which could potentially lead President Trump to expedite measures like closing the southern border and deporting undocumented immigrants if linked to ISIS.
On January 1st, during a New Year celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana, a truck attack resulted in numerous casualties, including at least 15 deaths and 45 injuries. The suspect, Shams the Deen Jabar, a 42-year-old retired military veteran from Texas, was allegedly a follower of ISIS. Flags related to ISIS were found in his vehicle, and he had recorded several videos explaining his reasons for joining ISIS, according to authorities reported by CNN.
Jabar, a U.S. citizen by birth, served in the U.S. Army for about a decade before converting to Islam. The investigation aims to explore his ties with ISIS and the attack’s connection to the extremist group, with the FBI categorizing the event as a terrorist act rather than a random mass killing.
ISIS, following its declared statehood in 2014, once controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria but was eventually driven back by military forces. It has since engaged in guerrilla tactics. The group has reportedly been regrouping amidst the chaos of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, particularly in the Syrian desert, rekindling aspirations for an Islamic caliphate.
The incident has raised alarms in the U.S., particularly with Bruce Hoffman from the CFR highlighting the persistent threat of ISIS influencing extremists in Western countries despite efforts over the past decade to dismantle the organization. With President-elect Trump poised to take office on January 20, the attack might influence his hardline stance on illegal immigration.
Previously, Trump had issued executive orders restricting immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries. This incident could fuel his agenda of mass deportations and southern border closures, ensuring his policies gain traction despite the suspect’s American origins.
Experts note a troubling increase in vehicle attacks as a form of mass violence, citing the ease and immediacy of causing harm with readily available vehicles. A study by the British Medical Journal highlighted that 71% of such attacks in the last 50 years occurred within six years up to 2019. Past incidents include a truck attack in Manhattan by an ISIS sympathizer in 2017, and the 2016 Nice attack in France.
Vehicle attacks, needing nothing more than the vehicle itself, allow perpetrators to create significant casualties quickly and are increasingly favored by terrorists as a method. Researchers argue that everyday objects are thus turned into deadly weapons, granting otherwise negligible actors the ability to instill fear across society. As a precaution, measures such as installing safety barriers and elevating curbs at pedestrian-heavy public venues are being advocated to mitigate the threat of such attacks.