At least 15 people were killed and 30 injured in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day when a man deliberately drove a pickup truck into crowds on Bourbon Street. Local officials are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
This attack is part of a broader trend of vehicle-based assaults on crowds, which have occurred for decades. While vehicle ramming was not initially a terrorist tactic, it has been increasingly utilized by extremist organizations and radicalized individuals to inflict harm and instill fear.
Vehicles are often used as weapons due to their prevalence, especially in developed nations, allowing assailants with limited access to explosives or firearms to cause significant damage with minimal training or experience. Researchers have noted that this tactic gives individuals the ability to target urban centers and create widespread fear.
The history of vehicle attacks dates back many years, often unrelated to organized terrorism. For instance, in 1973, a Czechoslovak woman killed eight people due to personal grievances. However, terrorist groups began employing ramming tactics in the 1990s, with the Mineta Transportation Institute reporting that most of the 184 vehicle-ramming attacks recorded from 1963 to mid-2019 occurred in Israel and the West Bank.
In 2010, Al Qaeda encouraged the use of vehicles to attack enemies, but the tactic gained traction later when the Islamic State publicly called for such attacks. Notable instances include a 2017 attack in New York City where a man used a pickup truck to kill eight people, and multiple attacks in Israel and the West Bank by Palestinians targeting Israelis.
Other significant incidents include the 2016 attack in Nice, France, where over 80 people died during a Bastille Day celebration, and the 2017 Charlottesville attack, where a man drove into a crowd protesting against white supremacy, resulting in one death and many injuries.
In response to the increasing frequency of these attacks, police and security forces have implemented measures to protect public spaces, such as installing bollards and barriers. New York City announced plans to install 1,500 metal bollards in high-traffic areas following two major vehicle attacks in 2017.
Despite these efforts, recent attacks demonstrate the challenges of completely mitigating the threat. For example, the assailant in a recent attack in Magdeburg, Germany, managed to bypass security measures by using a lane designated for ambulances. In New Orleans, the city was in the process of upgrading security bollards when the recent attack occurred, with officials noting that the perpetrator navigated around existing barricades.