The New Orleans terror atrocity has prompted fears of more attacks (Image: X)
British terror police are on red alert over fears of copycat attacks following the New Orleans atrocity.
Counter-terrorism chiefs and intelligence officers are monitoring for signs the attack, which killed at least 14 people in the US city, could inspire jihadis to commit more atrocities.
Security experts said the “ISIS ideology has never left us” in the UK, warning: “It is sadly a question of when – not if – the next attempt succeeds.”
They warned the Islamist terror group is promoting a “victory narrative” following the US evacuation from Afghanistan, the withdrawal of Western peacekeepers from the Sahel region of Africa and the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government.
Shamsud Din Jabbar (Image: FBI/AFP via Getty Images)
Shamsud Din Jabber killed at least 14 people in a horrific terror attack (Image: AP)
On Thursday, Islamists were celebrating the New Orleans atrocity.
One former counter-terrorism detective warned chiefs will be particularly concerned about copycat attacks.
A Counter Terrorism Policing spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with all of those affected by the horrific events in New Orleans, including our US law enforcement colleagues.
“The terrorist threat level in the UK remains at substantial, meaning an attack is likely.
“Public vigilance is critical to our efforts to keep our communities safe and we continue to ask people to report anything that doesn’t feel right to police. Always call 999 in an emergency.
“As the public would expect, we continually assess international events to understand if there are any implications for the UK’s national security.”
Lone wolf extremists radicalised online pose the biggest terrorist threat to the UK, the Daily Express understands.
Concern is particularly high immediately after atrocities, amid fears would-be terrorists could be inspired to carry out an attack.
In October, MI5 director-general Ken McCallum admitted the intelligence agency had seen signs ISIS was trying to order attacks from abroad again.
On Thursday, the FBI said night New Orleans terrorist Shamsud Din Jabbar acted alone when he ploughed into crowds of people in Bourbon Street, killing 14 people.
Jabbar had also planted two home-made bombs in two cool boxes.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society security think tank, said: “There is understandable horror about the return of ISIS mass casualty attacks to the West, but in reality ISIS ideology has never left us.
“This is your UK reminder that MI5 recently clarified that 75% of terrorist threats it is handling are Islamist in nature.
“With 43 late-stage terror plots having been foiled since 2017, it is sadly a question of when – not if – the next attempt succeeds.
“When are politicians going to start telling the truth about this and cracking down on the greatest internal security problem facing the UK today?”
Professor Ian Acheson, senior adviser, Counter Extremism Project, told the Daily Express: “The New Orleans atrocity should greatly concern the security and intelligence services here.
“There are tens of thousands of subjects of interest on MI5 watchlists. Islamic State encouraged its adherents to use vehicles to attack Christmas markets late last year and we saw another murderous attack in Magdeburg only a few weeks ago.
“Vehicles as weapons are cheap, low-tech, hard to detect and harder still to deter in a free society. Islamist extremists know this.”So there is capacity to commit enormous violence, joined with the capability in those radicalised by political developments elsewhere such as the conflict in and Gaza to murder in the name of ideology.
“Terrorists only need to be lucky once, or protective services need to be lucky all the time.”
ISIS supporters have praised the attack in New Orleans online, branding Jabbar a “martyr” and a “lion”.
But the terror group has not so far claimed responsibility for the atrocity committed by the former US soldier.
Jabbar revealed in a series of disturbing Facebook videos that he had planned to murder his family.
But he changed his mind after fearing the killings would take away from the message of the “war between the believers and the disbelievers”.
Jabbar pledged his allegiance to ISIS in the summer after being inspired by a dream.
The videos were filmed while he was driving his car. Investigators think they were made en-route from Texas to Louisiana.
Police checkpoints in and around Bourbon Street (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Counter-extremism expert Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler said: “The ISIS poster in the back of the perpetrator’s truck mimics an ISIS poster from 2017 where they took responsibility for a range of vehicular attacks including in London, Berlin and the Middle East.
“The poster showed a truck with an ISIS flag at the back driving over skulls.
“The similarity is uncanny and is highly unlikely to be accidental.”
Dr Schindler warned ISIS propaganda is widely visible on many social media websites.
He said: “Sadly, ISIS does not have to make a lot of effort any more.
“Their propaganda is available on social media where individuals are perfectly placed to radicalise themselves without any direct help.
“Similar to drugs, the algorithms of the platforms are programmed to keep users coming back for more, and this is the case with would-be terrorists.
“Major social media companies have really relinquished their responsibilities over the last couple of years, and it’s been a disaster.
“Whether it’s ISIS, the far right or conspiracy theories, for some people at the end of that process there is violence.”
Dr Schindler said: “Europol put out the data for 2023 a couple of weeks ago and there were 120 foiled attacks in Europe, with 14 of those being successful. On average, an arrest was made in Europe every three days in relation to Islamist terrorism.
“Based on the number of times that I have tracked attacks, arrests and foiled plots, 2024 should be worse.
“We now need to be careful to ensure that Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria does not allow ISIS to gain more strength than it already has because 2024 was a record year for ISIS attacks inside Syria, which is why the number of US forces was doubled.”
Former British Army intelligence officer Mike Tapp, who is now the MP for Dover, told the Daily Express: “The threat level to the UK is currently set at substantial, which means an attack is likely.
“This means we must remain vigilant, and our security services are working hard behind the scenes to monitor and mitigate potential threats.
“In the immediate aftermath of any terror attack, there is always the risk of lone wolf copycat attacks, but there is no specific intelligence to warrant an increase in threat level at this time.”