New Orleans Truck Attack Exposes Years of Security Failures on Bourbon Street

The deadly New Year’s Day attack, linked to ISIS, highlights delayed bollard repairs, interagency conflicts, and new concerns over misuse of smart technology.

• Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran who pledged allegiance to ISIS, killed 14 people and injured dozens in a vehicle ramming and shooting attack on Bourbon Street early New Year’s Day.
• The city of New Orleans had been warned as early as 2017 and again in 2019 that bollards meant to prevent such attacks needed immediate repairs, but replacements were delayed until late 2024.
• A 2019 security report cited interagency conflicts and inefficiencies in managing French Quarter security, further complicating the implementation of protective measures.
• Jabbar used Meta smart glasses to scout the area before the attack, raising concerns about the potential misuse of advanced consumer technology for planning acts of terrorism.
• As New Orleans prepares for major events like the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, officials are reassessing security measures, including the effectiveness of newly installed bollards.

69 Articles

USA TODAY Washington Examiner Fox News The Hill NBC News ABC News Washington Examiner Associated Press New York Post NBC News UPI mint CBS News mint Newsweek The Independent CNN CBS News True North VERIFY The Free Press CBS News The Hill CNN Associated Press Poynter The Independent Hindustan Times Associated Press ABC News The Daily Wire Breitbart CNN Free Press Journal Associated Press UPI Raw Story Associated Press Al Jazeera Stern Crooks and Liars Fox News Sächsische Zeitung Fox News Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung USA TODAY Alternet.org Die Zeit The Independent WELT The Times PBS NewsHour DER SPIEGEL Le Parisien MSNBC Le Figaro MSNBC MSNBC MSNBC Der Tagesspiegel Stern MSNBC CNN The Denver Post Orange County Register Mother Jones Salon