The New Orleans terrorists' pledge of allegiance to ISIS came as a shock to many who felt the notorious terrorist organization had been defeated long ago.
But Shamsuddin Jabbar, the 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas who mowed down dozens of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street on January 1, killing 15 and injuring many more. , had an ISIS flag flying on a rented truck.
Jabbar also posted five videos in which he claimed to be “inspired by ISIS” and expressed a “murderous desire” before the spree began and ended with him being shot dead by police after getting out of his car. did.
“ISIS may have changed over the years, but the way they work and influence people remains similar,'' Kelly O'Brien-Smith Research Director, American Leadership and Policy Foundation He, who specializes in protecting children from radicalization, spoke to the Post about the group that briefly imposed an evil, ultra-hardline Islamic regime in the Middle East a decade ago.
“We're seeing older people becoming radicalized right now,” Smith said. “ISIS is using the same techniques it always has to project great power and stir up people who are excited about violence.
“[Jabbar] Fits the type of person they are pursuing. He was susceptible because he had personal and financial problems. ”
Jabbar's brother Abdul Jabbar, 24, described Shamsud as “compassionate” and “smart”, who was initially raised as a Christian before converting to Islam at an early age. he said. He told the New York Times that his brother's actions were “not representative of Islam.” This is not a religion, but a kind of radicalization. ”
Jabbar had placed improvised explosive devices around the area of the attack, which did not go off, but court documents revealed that he had been twice divorced and had financial difficulties. .
Smith said ISIS primarily reaches out to people in the United States online. Even though most accounts promoting ISIS were removed from all major social media platforms, the group grew more insidious as a result.
“Once they were interested in acquiring more territory, now they are interested in capturing the hearts and minds of the people. They still exist in videos, chat rooms, etc.
The Houston mosque where Jabbar is rumored to have been a member has a fervent imam named Elad Sudan, whose making-of video has been released online. anti-semitic remarksAnd officials told the Post they believed Mr. Jabbar may have become radicalized there.
ISIS, also known as ISIL or Daesh, is an acronym for the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq. The group began occupying the land in 2014 after breaking away from al-Qaeda amid the turmoil that followed the end of Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq and the nascent uprising in Syria.
They soon established their own “caliphate,” or self-proclaimed holy state of Islam.
ISIS captured the Syrian city of Raqqa in January 2014, declaring it the capital of the caliphate and forcing its residents to follow ISIS' strict 7th century-style brand of Islamism.
Most sinister for terrorism analysts at the time was the unusually sophisticated Western-style media campaign that began soon after ISIS was formed. Video shows scary-looking ISIS operatives Behead non-Muslims.
One video, showing the kidnapping and beheading of as many as 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya in 2015, dominated news and social media.
They also executed Western journalists who were working in Iraq in front of cameras, accompanied by their condemnation of the West.
ISIS' Al-Hayat Media Center became operational in 2014 and began publishing a magazine called Dabiq that summer. It was surprisingly successful, and soon ordinary Muslims from Europe and America were going to Raqqa en masse and signing up to join the caliphate.
Senegalese-born charismatic crusader Oscar Diaby The team from Nice, France, is believed almost single-handedly to have recruited dozens of French teenagers and young adults to Syria from approximately 2013 to 2016.
Diaby spread a clever video of children brandishing Kalashnikovs, and before long, many were showing up at local airports with suitcases and plane tickets to Turkey.
At its peak, ISIS controlled vast areas from western Syria to the outskirts of Iraq's capital, Baghdad.
However, by 2019, Thanks to a coalition of Kurdish and Arab soldiers With the support of US, British, and French special forces, ISIS lost its last stronghold in Syria, its leader was assassinated, and it fell from power, marking the end of its caliphate.
Or so it seemed.
Experts interviewed by the Post say ISIS has become more underground in recent years.
They say they are focusing on Afghanistan and parts of Africa, particularly the dangerous and terrorist-infested Sahel region, a vast region in the continent's north.
They use two media sites, usually published in Arabic. One called War and Media Agency and the other Voice of Khorasan spread ISIS propaganda as covertly as possible on messaging apps such as Telegram, Kick, and the now-defunct Surespot. Masu.
About a year ago, ISIS created two fake video channels masquerading as the CNN and Al Jazeera networks and posted them on two Facebook pages, two YouTube channels, and two accounts under X, according to a report by ISIS. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The content was made to look like an official network program, but was actually pro-ISIS propaganda.
“Although ISIS has lost territory and power, their propaganda remains very powerful and effective online,” said Chairman Jean-Charles Brissard. Center for Terrorism Analysis based in Parishe told the Thursday Post.
“As far as we can see,[Jabbar]had no direct contact with ISIS leadership, as most perpetrators of ISIS-inspired terrorism in Western countries do, and here too a case of a French military officer being radicalized.” There is.
“They usually participate by watching or reading propaganda.”
Additional reporting by Isabel Vincent
