New Orleans attacker’s apparent loyalty to Islamic State group highlights persistent threat of lone wolf terrorism
On January 1, 2025, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, drove his truck into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 15, highlighting ongoing risks from lone actors inspired by extremist groups.
Last Updated on January 5, 2025 by Daily News StaffShamsud-Din Jabbar drove a white Ford F-150 pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Matthew Hinton/AFP via Getty Images
While the investigation is still ongoing, some details about the suspect have been released. Authorities say Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, was behind the assault in which a truck was driven into a dense crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter a few hours after midnight, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Jabbar, who died in a shoot-out with police, had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group in online videos posted on Dec. 31, according to the FBI.
It represents the first major assault on an American city by an individual purportedly influenced by the Islamic State group, or one of its affiliates, since a 2017 truck assault in New York City that killed eight.
The New Orleans attack, like that earlier incident, underscores an important point: While the Islamic State group’s territorial caliphate – the area in Syria and Iraq in which it assumed both political and religious authority and sought to enforce its interpretation of Islamic law – has been dismantled, the group’s ability to inspire acts of terror on U.S. soil through online propaganda and ideological influence remains alarmingly potent.
As a terrorism expert and a scholar specializing in radical Islamist militant groups, I believe the case of Jabbar – an American soldier who was radicalized in the U.S. – echoes similar lone wolf attacks in the West over the past decade.
With lost territory in the Middle East, the Islamic State group has sought to exploit personal grievances, mental health struggles and ideological vulnerabilities, transforming isolated individuals in the West into deadly instruments of violence.
An attack inspired by the Islamic State
The New Year’s Day attack took place in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter. At about 3:15 a.m., Jabbar plowed his truck into a dense crowd along the popular Bourbon Street.
In the immediate aftermath, investigators discovered a black banner in his vehicle – the flag used by many Islamist militant groups, including the Islamic State.
While the Islamic State has not yet officially claimed the attack on any of its social media platforms, subsequent reviews of Jabbar’s online activity revealed videos posted just hours before the incident, in which he pledged allegiance to the group. On Jan. 2, Christopher Raia of the FBI’s counterterrorism division said Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS,” using an alternative name for the group.
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New Orleans attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. FBI/AFP via Getty Images
Jabbar’s background adds complexity to the narrative. A 42-year-old veteran, he had no prior known links to extremist networks, according to the FBI, underscoring the challenge posed by self-radicalized individuals who operate outside the scope of traditional terrorist cells.
At this early stage of the investigation, it appears the attack was planned independently, driven by an ideological alignment with the Islamic State group rather than at the direction of any of its leaders. This highlights the decentralized and unpredictable nature of the current terrorist threat landscape.
The growing threat of lone actor attacks
At the height of its power in 2014-2015, the Islamic State group controlled significant territory across Syria and Iraq, establishing a self-declared caliphate. While this physical caliphate was dismantled by 2019, following sustained efforts by the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State, the group continues to operate, conduct and inspire attacks.
Lone wolf attacks, inspired by Islamic State group propaganda but lacking direct operational support, have become the hallmark of the post-caliphate era.
By inspiring individuals to carry out attacks independently, the Islamic State group aims to create an atmosphere of fear and instability, demonstrating its global influence despite lacking a physical caliphate.
It has actively sought to radicalize and mobilize individuals in the U.S. through digital platforms, spreading violent narratives and offering tactical guidance to potential attackers.
This strategy allows the group to maintain relevance and project strength despite its physical losses in the Middle East.
The New Orleans incident follows a pattern seen in previous attacks in the West — such as the 2016 Nice truck attack in France, the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack and the 2017 London Bridge attack. In each case, individuals were motivated by the Islamic State group’s call to action, using readily available means – vehicles, knives or firearms – to inflict mass casualties.
A critical component of the Islamic State group’s continued influence is its sophisticated use of online platforms to spread propaganda.
Even after significant efforts by social media companies to dismantle extremist content, the Islamic State group, al-Qaida and their affiliates have adapted by migrating to encrypted messaging services, dark web forums and niche platforms.
Jabbar’s apparent radicalization is, I believe, likely to have been driven by such online materials – more will be known when the FBI is through investigating the many phones and laptops agents retrieved after the attack.
Such online propaganda frequently blends religious rhetoric with narratives of personal empowerment and martyrdom. The psychological appeal of Islamic State group propaganda lies in its ability to offer disenfranchised individuals a sense of purpose, framing violence as a form of spiritual fulfillment and resistance against perceived oppression.
The case of Jabbar also raises broader questions about domestic radicalization within the United States.
Individuals like Jabbar – who are not part of any terrorist cell and seemingly have no prior known links to extremism – are often able to operate undetected until they commit acts of violence.Police say the driver who plowed into a crowded street in New Orleans acted alone but was inspired by the Islamic State group. Michael DeMocker/Getty Images
Islamist militant groups’ Western strategy
The Islamic State group’s broader strategy in inspiring lone actor attacks extends beyond mere acts of violence.
By inciting terror in Western nations, the group aims to polarize societies, foster anti-Muslim sentiment and provoke overreactions from governments – conditions that can fuel further radicalization and recruitment.
This cycle of violence and social division serves not just the Islamic State group, but other Islamist militant groups’ long-term objective of destabilizing the West and reinforcing its narrative of a civilizational clash between Islam and the West.
Attacks such as that in New Orleans serve as powerful propaganda tools, demonstrating that the Islamic State group’s ideology remains alive despite its territorial losses. Each successful attack amplifies the perception of the Islamic State group’s resolve, bolstering the morale of supporters and attracting new recruits.
The New Orleans attack is a sobering reminder that the influence of extremist Islamist groups extends far beyond the borders of the Middle East. As the Islamic State group and other radical militant groups evolve and adapt, the threat of lone wolf attacks looms over the U.S. and other nations.
From ‘mail-order brides’ to ‘passport bros,’ the international dating industry often sells traditional gender roles
A sociologist traces how the international dating industry evolved from “mail-order brides” to “passport bros,” and why economic anxiety and shifting gender norms keep traditional roles in demand.
For many American men, the draw of the international dating industry is the idea of ‘more traditional’ women. Kurgenc/iStock via Getty Images Plus
From ‘mail-order brides’ to ‘passport bros,’ the international dating industry often sells traditional gender roles
Julia Meszaros, Texas A&M University-Commerce Fifteen years ago, when I started studyingthe international dating industry, few people took the subject seriously. The term “mail-order bride” was treated as a punch line – something outdated, associated with lonely men and poor women who migrated from Eastern Europe, Asia or other places to meet their new husbands in the United States. But I’ve seen firsthand how ideas about gender, intimacy and global mobility have shifted. In 2025, a man going abroad to look for love might call himself a “passport bro” – and celebrate his lifestyle on TikTok. This new generation of young men may have rebranded international dating, but they reflect an age-old theme. Social and economic changes shape how people negotiate love and labor across borders, as I explore in my 2025 book, “Economies of Gender.” In a chaotic world, some men and women turn to traditional gender roles as a source of seeming stability – and that often leads them abroad.
Old industry, new look
The term “mail-order bride” dates back to the 19th century, when so-called frontier brides advertised themselves in newspapers to single men in the American West. After the Civil War, when large numbers of men had died on the East Coast, some women saw migrating to the frontier to marry someone sight unseen as a way to secure stability. That narrative still lingers today in Western novels and films. The modern international matchmaking industry, however, took shape in the 1970s, when catalogs of mostly Filipino women’s photos and addresses were sold to American men. After being pen pals, men would travel to the Philippines to meet and decide whether they wanted to get married. Some scholars consider this a form of human trafficking, but that has been challenged by other scholarship. These catalogs emerged as more U.S. women were entering the workforce and earning their own money. Some men sought wives abroad who they believed would embody more traditional values – prioritizing domestic work and devoting themselves to men and children. Over the next few decades, large numbers of stable, well-paying factory jobs disappeared, further challenging some men’s view of themselves as breadwinners. By 2010, the catalog system had moved online and expanded into a global industry that generated US$2 billion dollars per year. Today, it takes many forms. Most of the industry is online, with email and chat correspondence that charges men but not women. Some agencies provide in-person tours for male clients, and there are higher-end, more personalized matchmaking services as well.
From taboo to televised
What was once stigmatized has become more normalized through reality TV. TLC’s hit series “90 Day Fiance,” which came on air in 2014, has transformed international dating into a lucrative entertainment franchise.The stresses of the K-1 visa process have become fodder for reality TV.AMR Image/iStock via Getty Images Plus The show and its numerous spin-offs show couples navigating the K-1 visa process, which gives 90 days to marry after a partner enters the country. If the wedding is called off, the foreign fiance or fiancee must return to their country of origin. Many of the featured couples met randomly, in person. A significant number, however, connected through online dating or language-learning sites. Numerous couples’ storylines highlight family and friends of the American partner who question the girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s motives, accusing them of faking love for financial gain and access to a green card. Audiences might watch the show for drama or love stories, but the underlying themes mirror what I’ve seen in the field: relationships shaped by economic inequality and migration, with women often exchanging emotional, domestic and sexual labor in return for financial stability.
Rise of the ‘passport bros’
In recent years, the mail-order bride industry has gotten a cultural revamp, with younger and more diverse men who identify as “passport bros.” This crowd is typically younger than men participating in the commercial international dating industry and more likely to identify as men of color. These men are less likely to pay for formal dating and introduction services. They travel on their own, using free dating apps such as Tinder to meet local women – mostly in Colombia, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Passport bros say they travel abroad to meet women who are more traditional than the ones they meet at home. Many of the American men I interviewed between 2010 and 2022 talked about Western women as too focused on career, which challenged their idea of themselves as financial providers.‘Passport bros’ fly solo rather than paying for international dating services.Stanislav Smoliakov/iStock via Getty Images Plus Similarly, my research in Ukraine, Colombia and the Philippines shows that many men using international dating services are motivated by more than just love or cultural curiosity. They are responding to a changing world in which women’s financial independence has challenged traditional male roles. For some, traveling abroad is a way to reassert control and to find relationships that reaffirm a sense of masculine identity. In my interviews, American men looking abroad talked about feeling empowered and having choices, while being ignored in the U.S. dating market. Some recognized that their relative wealth is the cause of this. As one man on a romance tour in Ukraine told me in 2012, “I am here to exchange my financial stability for some Ukrainian woman’s youth and beauty, and I am OK with that.”
Appeal of ‘tradition’
Together, many of these daters illustrate the global pattern I’ve seen across my years of fieldwork: anxiety fuels a longing for traditionalism. What appears to be a return to the past is, in reality, an adaptation to the present. The romance tours, the “90 Day Fiance” phenomenon and the passport bros speak to how people use relationships to navigate the economic instability of the modern world. Gender roles become a way to reestablish order and identity. In the past two decades, rising inflation, stagnant wages and housing shortages have left many people, especially younger generations, feeling economically trapped. The COVID-19 pandemic deepened these inequalities, forcing millions out of the workforce and amplifying the strain of unpaid caregiving, particularly for women. In times of uncertainty, societies often retreat to familiar narratives. Traditional gender roles offer an illusion of stability and order, even if they reinforce inequality. The fantasy of the dependable male provider and the nurturing homemaker resurfaces because it seems to resolve anxieties that the modern economy has made harder to bear. As a sociologist, I study these dynamics not just to understand dating trends but to trace how societies reproduce inequality through intimacy. Until our society addresses stagnant wages, rising costs and the erosion of social safety nets, I believe nostalgia for a clear, gendered hierarchy will continue. In this hierarchy, men are guaranteed women’s labor, and women hold out hope for economic security – which is often seen as romance. Julia Meszaros, Associate Professor of Sociology, Texas A&M University-Commerce This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
