By Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times,
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued a public warning, expressing concern about possible ramming attacks on copying vehicles, such as the New Year’s incident in New Orleans, in which 14 people were killed and dozens injured.
“The FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copying or counterattacks due to the persistent call to ram vehicles as a tactic to catch attackers from violent extremists,” the agencies said in a joint warning issued on Jan. 13.
The New Orleans attack, allegedly motivated by ISIS propaganda, involved a vehicle plowing into the crowd. Suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar then exited the vehicle and was killed by police in a gunfire exchange.
Similar attacks are particularly troubling because of their simplicity and the availability of vehicles that can be rented, stolen or owned directly, the agencies said in a statement. In addition to using the vehicle itself as a weapon, suspects in similar attacks have also used other means to inflict more carnage.
“Some have used additional weapons, such as firearms and knives, to attack people after the vehicle stopped,” the FBI and DHS noted.
“In addition, attackers may attempt to hide and preposition improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to complement the vehicle’s attack.”
The suspect in the New Orleans incident had additional weapons in a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck — including an IED — that he used to mow people along a three-block road on Bourbon Street. About an hour before the attack, Jabbar put homemade bombs inside two coolers and placed them elsewhere in the French Quarter, part of a city full of New Year’s revelators. Law enforcement officials have said the two IEDs planted by the suspect did not go out because he used the wrong device to explode them.
In their warning about possible copies, the FBI and DHS noted that the targets of such attacks are typically large gatherings of civilians, law enforcement and military personnel, as well as densely trafficked places such as festivals, malls and shrines. As this could be widespread destruction and loss of life, the agencies called for greater vigilance.
“The FBI and DHS are calling on bystanders to immediately report suspicious activities that may be related to violent extremist activity, including signs of possible online radicalization into violence and mobilization for attacks,” the warning reads.
The communication also highlighted resources available to law enforcement, first responders, and community leaders to reduce the vulnerability of such attacks. These include training materials and best practices for detecting threats and improving security protocols in public spaces.
Initially, officials believed Jabbar may have had accomplices in orchestrating the deadly New Orleans attack. However, in the course of the investigation, they established that he acted independently in an attack of the type of “lone wolf”.
The warning was issued the same day the FBI said there were no known threats to the Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., where President-elect Donald Trump would be sworn in.
Trump faced two life attempts during the presidential campaign, including one in which a future assassin’s bullet rattled his ear during a campaign in Butler, Pennsylvania. In another incident, a gunman made Trump wait at the International Golf Course in West Palm Beach and fled without firing a gun after a Secret Service agent spotted the barrel of his firearm and fired several shots in his direction.
William McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service, said at a Jan. 13 news conference that about 25,000 law enforcement and military officials were on site on inauguration day to ensure security.
“We have a slightly more robust security plan. We’ve been planning this event for 12 months,” McCool said. “All participants undergo screening. Designated checkpoints shall be established for residents interested in participating in the inauguration.”
