New Orleans terror strike may have ripple effects

15 people have been killed while almost 40 have been injured in an attack in New Orleans on Jan 1.

Millions of ‘happy new year’ messages were exchanged between family and friends across the globe as 2025 was being ushered in but the New Year has got off to an unhappy start. One that is inauspicious but alas, predictable.

The terror virus that kills innocent citizens struck again - this time in New Orleans, US, where a pickup truck was deliberately driven into a large crowd of New Year revellers on Wednesday (January 1) in the French Quarter of the city. Reports at the time of writing confirmed 15 people killed while almost 40 have been injured.

The perpetrator of this dastardly act has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. Jabbar, a military veteran who was born in America, served in the US Army for 13 years and his tenure in uniform included a deployment to Afghanistan. The accused, Jabbar was shot dead by security forces in the encounter that followed the murderous mayhem.

US President Joe Biden has condemned the horrific incident and added that the FBI had discovered videos posted by Jabbar on social media hours before the attack. In these videos he reportedly expressed being inspired by the Islamic State group and voiced a desire to kill.

Don’t jump to conclusions

These are early days after this terror attack and prudence is warranted. While an IS linkage has been revealed by the FBI,  who have also indicated that preliminary investigation suggests that Jabbar may not have acted alone, jumping to hasty conclusions about this terror act representing a resurgence of the IS and jihadi terrorism in the US would be premature.

But yes, this incident will pose a challenge for the new Trump administration that will assume office on January 20 and the first statement from the president-elect is instructive.

Trump described the New Orleans attack as ‘evil’ and asserted: “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the fake news media, but it turned out to be true. The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before.”

Here the default position is evident, wherein the political barbs that marked the Trump campaign continue unfettered - which is to castigate the Democrats, the fake news media and point the finger at the outsider, the illegal immigrant, for endangering    American lives.

US’ main domestic terror threat comes from Right Wing extremists

This is palpably counterfactual in the New Orleans case, for the accused Jabbar was born in the USA and had served in the American military. Hence the implied accusation is more politically motivated to stoke a domestic extreme Right Wing sentiment that smears the immigrant – particularly those from the Islamic faith.

The New Orleans killing is the latest in a series of gun-related deaths that continue to plague the USA and the statistical summary is revealing. According to a US   survey: ‘As of October 2024, there were five people charged with jihadi terrorism in the United States in 2024, four of whom were male. In 2023, there were a total of ten people charged with jihadi terrorism in the United States: nine of whom were male.’

The survey said that after 9/11, more than 500 people have been charged with terrorism in the US, with 2015 seeing the largest spike. However, contrary to the popular perception about jihadi terror – the survey highlights that domestic right-wing extremism is far more prevalent in the US than jihadi terrorism.

The numbers are stark. From 2014 to 2023, 19 percent of extremist-related killings were caused by perpetrators affiliated with Islamist extremism, while 76 percent of extremist-related killings were carried out by criminals affiliated with right-wing extremism – many of them white Americans.

Whether New Orleans will be dealt with from an objective internal security policy perch to address deeply embedded structural inadequacies in American society, media and state machinery - or cynically exploited to garner short-term political advantage is moot, though all the signals being exuded by Trump 2.0 in the run up to January 20, such as senior government appointments do not augur well.

If IS link’s confirmed, it spells trouble for other nations too

New Orleans and the link with the IS, if proven to be correct, has wider implications – even if it is a lone-wolf operation. The loss of innocent lives to any form of terror - anywhere in the world should be deemed unacceptable; and the resurgence of jihadist ideologies and related violence is an internal security challenge for all nations.

South Asia is vulnerable and each country has its own post 9/11 experience. Constant vigilance has become the leitmotif of this century after 9/11 and airport security protocols are symbolic.

Terror perpetrators seek to disrupt the rhythms of normalcy and sow fear in the citizenry. That objective should be denied and a calm counter-terror resolve has to be progressively internalized by state and society. Envisioning a happy 2025 must not be jettisoned.