In the Age of Terrorism, a New Look at a Recent Truck-Brammed Christmas Market Attack in Berlin: The Case of a Black-Hole Man

The driver struck the group of people at the white supremacist rally. One person was killed and more than 30 others were injured.

In 2016, a truck mowed through a Christmas market in Berlin, leaving at least 12 dead and many more injured, in yet another incident in which the Islamic State took credit.

However, many of the assailants behind a wave of such attacks that occurred in the region in 2016 and 2017 had no known ties to ISIS. In places where there was no evidence the terrorist group was behind an attack, they have often claimed responsibility.

These kinds of attacks have been called for by Islamic terrorist groups for over a decade. But in 2016, ISIS began aggressively promoting vehicle attacks — particularly in the U.S. and Europe — through its online magazine Rumiyah, including instructions its supporters were encouraged to use to carry out such attacks.

Less communication between a central organization and people reduces the risk of vehicle-based attacks. They are also cheaper.

“Soft targets, such as areas in which civilians are enjoying themselves relaxing, are obviously easier targets because you can just drive right through,” she said.

In an unclassified document from 2010, Department of Homeland Security officials warned that vehicle-ramming allows terrorists who lack access to or expertise in explosives or other weapons an opportunity to carry out an attack.

The FBI said that the man who rammed his truck into a crowd on New Year’s Day acted alone and that it is currently being investigated as a terrorist attack. While a specific motive is still unclear, the FBI said the suspect was inspired by ISIS.

“Terrorism has changed,” said Devorah Margolin, senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Plane hijackings, such as the Sept. 11 attacks, have become less common, she said, while “these low- to medium-impact or low- to medium-cost [vehicle-based] attacks are kind of more popularized.”

Source: Vehicular attacks are not new. But preventing them has been a big challenge

New Orleans Security Terrorism Prevention: Comment on a New York City Targeting of Large Vehicles and the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Greg Shill, a law professor who studies transportation policy at the University of Iowa, says that reducing car dependency in dense cities, including the use of large vehicles in urban centers, could help.

He said, “I hear from a lot of clients and a lot of partners that they have the need to revisit what they’ve done in relation to bollards and barriers.”

The New Orleans incident has prompted both public safety officials and private companies to go back to the drawing board, said Brian Stephens, a senior managing director with consultancy firm Teneo’s security risk advisory practice. He works with both public and private businesses to come up with strategies to deal with security threats.

“We did have a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and they still got around,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Wednesday. “We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it.”

I’m not aware of any US cities that are contemplating measures to keep large vehicles out of the urban core. Even modest measures are subject to a lot of opposition due to the fact that children at an adjacent school play for an hour or two.

The Islamic State called on sympathizers to attack the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, prompting police to deploy protective equipment on streets near the parade route.

Then, following the 2017 bike path attack, New York City announced a plan to install 1,500 bollards in some of the city’s most populated spaces as a way to block vehicles.

At the time of the attack in New Orleans, Bourbon Street bollards were being repaired in preparation for the Super Bowl.

Source: Vehicular attacks are not new. But preventing them has been a big challenge

Investigation of a New Orleans New Year’s Day Attack: FBI Says Suspected Attack He Visited the City to Conduct Surveillance

Police indicated that even a functioning barricade wouldn’t have stopped the attack as the person drove up onto the sidewalk.

The FBI has revealed that the man who allegedly carried out the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans had recently visited the city twice beforehand, and used “smart glasses” to record video of the area he later targeted.

Christopher Raia, FBI assistant director, said that all investigative details and evidence shows that there was only one person who acted alone in New Orleans. “We have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking into potential associates in the U.S. and outside of our borders.”

One trip took place in October, while the other was in November. Myrthil also said Jabbar had ridden through the city’s French Quarter on a bicycle wearing smart glasses made by Ray-Ban that are capable of recording video and are connected to a user’s Facebook account.

Sunday’s press conference offered a more detailed timeline of Jabbar’s actions in the moments leading up to the attack, when he allegedly drove a truck into a crowd celebrating the New Year on New Orleans’ storied Bourbon Street.

FBI agents showed video of Jabbar planting improvised bombs before the attack. According to investigators, the devices were meant to explode, but they did not. Two of the bombs were left in coolers, one of which was said to have been dragged around by unsuspecting revelers on New Year’s Eve.

At least two police officers were wounded by the gunfire that came after the truck he was in crashed.

The FBI said it had recovered two semi-automatic guns that Jabbar had with him in the truck: a 9mm pistol and a 308-caliber rifle. The rifle was made in Texas and had a privately-made silencer.

On leaving the house he was staying in before the attack, Jabbar also set a small fire in a hallway, but the flames burned out before firefighters arrived, the FBI said.

Source: FBI says suspect in New Orleans attack twice visited the city to conduct surveillance

Loss of a Grandparent in New Orleans Revealed by a Tactical Expert in the Preparation for the Super Bowl

New Orleans is bringing in a tactical expert to assess security in order to improve safety, according to the mayor. Mardi Gras parades begin Monday, and the city is hosting the Super Bowl next month. The police have used multiple vehicles and barricades at the scene of the attack.

Cantrell also spoke of preparations for the visit of President Biden, who is planning to travel to New Orleans with first lady Jill Biden on Monday to grieve with the families of victims.

The innocent lives will never be forgotten, according to the Louisiana governor who spoke at the beginning of the press conference. Landry has declared a period of mourning for the victims, beginning on Monday, with a different victim to be remembered each day.

On Saturday, the last of the 14 victims of the attack were identified: LaTasha Polk, a nursing assistant in her 40s, and a British man, Edward Pettifer. Prince William expressed his sadness at the death of Pettifer, his stepson who was a former nanny to the Royal Family.

The victims died from blunt force injuries. The youngest and the oldest victims were in their 20s. About 30 people were injured, and 16 remained hospitalized as of Friday.