FBI, DHS warn of possible copycat efforts following New Orleans attack

Federal law enforcement is asking the public to remain vigilant as they warn of possible copycat attacks similar to those seen in New Orleans.

In a joint statement from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, officials asked the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.

“The FBI and DHS are concerned about possible copycat or retaliatory attacks due to the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers. Previous attackers inspired by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) who have conducted vehicle attacks in the United States and abroad have used rented, stolen, and personally owned vehicles, which are easy to acquire,” they wrote.

“Some have used additional weapons, such as firearms and knives, to attack individuals after the vehicle has stopped. Additionally, attackers may attempt to conceal and pre-position improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to supplement a vehicle attack.”

The warning comes after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his car into pedestrians on Bourbon Street over the New Years holiday, killing 14 before he later died in a shootout with police.

Jabbar has said he was inspired by ISIS to carry out the attack. In addition to renting a car, he was found to have other weapons and also had placed two bombs in the area that he could detonate remotely.

Both agencies have previously warned of the risks posed by lone wolf actors radicalized by terror groups, including the difficulty of monitoring those who may wish to carry out deadly plots.

“You're talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said during a Sunday night appearance on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

“And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there's very little time in which to connect them.”

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