WASHINGTON – On Monday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a combined alert concerning the potential risk of “copycat” vehicle attacks, similar to the deadly event in New Orleans that claimed 14 lives on New Year’s Day.

The assailant from this incident, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former Army veteran, claimed allegiance to ISIS before being killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement. Officials have noted that vehicles continue to be a favored weapon for such attacks, largely due to their easy availability.

“The FBI and DHS are worried about the likelihood of imitative or retaliatory attacks fueled by the ongoing allure of vehicle ramming as a method for would-be violent extremists,” stated the agencies. “In previous incidents, attackers motivated by foreign terrorist groups have employed rented, stolen, and personal vehicles—making them simple to access.”

Attacks involving vehicles have emerged as one of the deadliest forms of terrorism globally, resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries internationally, particularly after their increase in frequency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just last month, a doctor from Saudi Arabia drove into a crowd at a Christmas market in Germany, resulting in five deaths and over 200 injuries.

According to an analysis of the Global Terrorism Database, more than half of all terrorism-related fatalities worldwide in 2016 were linked to vehicle attacks.

“The ease of access to vehicles makes this a widespread danger for any public gathering, whether it’s a New Year’s celebration or a regular weekend on Bourbon Street,” remarked Ryan Houser, a researcher specializing in terrorism and mass-attack scenarios, who authored a 2022 study on such incidents. “Vehicle ramming can democratize terrorism, allowing one individual with a fatal intent to carry out an effective attack.”

James Alan Fox, a criminology professor at Northeastern University, noted following the New Orleans incident that while vehicle ramming attacks are relatively uncommon in the U.S., they tend to be particularly lethal compared to other types of mass attacks involving firearms.

“In the U.S., with the widespread availability of powerful firearms relative to other countries, I believe that vehicle rammings will continue to represent a small fraction of incidents,” Fox stated. “Implementing barriers and street closures to protect crowds from vehicles would certainly help, although this isn’t always feasible.”

The FBI and DHS indicate that attackers can also resort to other weapons, such as guns or knives, after using a vehicle to crash into a target. The New Orleans assailant was armed and had set up a few improvised explosive devices along Bourbon Street, which unfortunately did not activate.

City officials shared that security barriers designed to stop vehicles, known as bollards, along Bourbon Street, were malfunctioning and scheduled for replacement before the truck attack occurring during the Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia. Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed that the bollard upgrades were anticipated to finish before the Super Bowl on February 9.

The FBI and DHS have urged the public to remain vigilant in preventing potential future attacks.

“Possible targets have included pedestrians, law enforcement or military personnel, as well as crowded places like festivals and shopping centers, which are typically reachable from roadways,” the agencies announced. “We encourage everyone to stay alert for any signs of copycat or retaliatory attacks and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement.”