Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, rammed his pickup truck into New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on January 1, killing 15 and injuring dozens. According to the FBI, Jabbar was “100% inspired by Isis” and displayed an Isis flag on his rented truck. He also posted five videos before the attack, expressing his “desire to kill” and claiming to be “inspired by Isis.” His declaration of loyalty to Isis shocked many, as the group was thought to have been largely defeated. However, experts explain that while the terrorist organization Isis has evolved, its influence and power over individuals remain strong.
‘Isis is using the same methods’
Kerry O’Brien Smith, a radicalization expert, told The New York Post, “Isis might have changed over the years, but the way they work and influence people is similar.” Smith noted that Isis continues to radicalize individuals, often targeting those with personal and financial struggles, like Jabbar. “We’re now seeing older individuals getting radicalized,” Smith added, stressing that Isis relies on consistent methods to attract individuals drawn to violence.
Isis ‘looking to capture minds’
Jabbar’s younger brother, Abdur Jabbar, described him as “caring” and “smart” but stressed that his actions stemmed from radicalization, not religion. Jabbar, who converted to Islam at a young age, faced personal challenges, including two divorces and financial troubles.
Smith said that Isis now focuses on capturing minds through online propaganda, targeting vulnerable individuals under the guise of community and freedom fighting. Despite being banned from major social platforms, Isis operates through videos, chatrooms, and messaging apps.
“Once they were interested in acquiring more territory, now it’s more looking to capture minds. They appeal to those who think they are joining a great community of freedom fighters. They’re still out there, on videos, in chatrooms – you name it,” Smith said.
‘Their propaganda is still very powerful’
Isis’s influence endures through its media outlets, the War and Media Agency and Voice of Khorasan, which disseminate propaganda on platforms like Telegram. A 2023 report revealed the group created fake news channels mimicking CNN and Al Jazeera to spread pro-Isis content.
Jean-Charles Brisard, president of the Center for the Analysis of Terrorism, stressed that while Isis has lost its territorial stronghold, its propaganda remains highly effective in radicalizing individuals like Jabbar, who had no direct contact with Isis leadership but acted based on its materials.
“Isis has lost territory and they’ve lost power, but their propaganda is still very powerful and effective online,” said Brisard. “From what we can see, (Jabbar) had no contact directly with Isis leadership. Most of the perpetrators of Isis-inspired terrorism in the West are the same way. We have even seen cases of French military officers being radicalized,” he added. “They usually join based on watching or reading the propaganda.”
Isis’s decline
Isis, also known as ISIL or Daesh, stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The group emerged from the chaos in Iraq and Syria post-2011, seizing vast territories and establishing a self-proclaimed caliphate in 2014. At its peak, Isis controlled a large region spanning western Syria to Baghdad, imposing harsh Islamist rule and employing sophisticated propaganda campaigns to attract global recruits. By 2019, international coalitions dismantled the caliphate, killed its leaders, and ended its territorial claims, according to The New York Post.
‘Isis has gone underground’
Isis has now shifted its operations underground, experts told The New York Post. The group currently focuses on Afghanistan and parts of Africa, particularly the Sahel region, a vast and unstable area in northern Africa plagued by terrorism.
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