By Eve Sampson New York Times
Share this story

The Islamic State group lauded the man who killed 14 people when he rammed a truck into a busy New Orleans street early New Year’s Day, with the group claiming in a digital newsletter dated Thursday that its online propaganda had inspired the attack.

The group said the attacker who ran over pedestrians walking on Bourbon Street was “influenced by the discourse and messaging of the Islamic State,” but its message stopped short of claiming responsibility.

ADVERTISING


The newsletter bulletin, obtained by the Counter Extremism Project, a terrorism watchdog, appeared to mock the American news media for “holding its breath” while waiting for the group to claim the attack.

While the message did not directly mention New Orleans, it did describe an attack by an American man and referenced Meta glasses. The FBI has said the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was wearing Meta glasses, and the Counter Extremism Project said the message was referring to the New Orleans attack.

The truck driven by Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Texas, carried an Islamic State flag. Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with New Orleans police, also left a chilling recorded message for his family, telling them he had joined the terrorist group.

Authorities have denied that Jabbar had active connections to the terrorist group, but the FBI said he was “100% inspired by ISIS,” using an alternative name for the Islamic State group.

It is unclear what online content Jabbar may have consumed before the attack, but ISIS produces weekly newsletters as part of a sophisticated media operation that keeps its far-flung factions connected.

Experts say this latest claim is unusual for the group.

“Unlike other attacks in the past, where ISIS has released a claim of responsibility for the attack, in this case, the group has stated that the attacker was inspired by ISIS propaganda messaging but does not claim they had a direct relationship,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a researcher at the Counter Extremism Project.

The ISIS statement’s emphasis on the importance of people who translate and share ISIS content, Fisher-Birch said, “speaks to the efforts to continue the spread of the group’s official messaging and unofficial propaganda efforts made by supporters.”

He added that the article included a clear call for future attacks during events and holidays.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2025 The New York Times Company