During his first term as president, Donald Trump saw the height of a violent civil war in Syria, a resurgence of Islamic State activity, and an increase in ISIS-inspired attacks abroad and on U.S. soil. .
Eight years later, many of these bogeymen are back.
Over the past eight weeks, Syrian rebels have launched a lightning-fast offensive, wresting back control of Syria and the capital, forcing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad to flee to Russia for safe haven. I was forced to. As with President Trump’s first term, instability in the Middle East is raising new questions about whether and what role the United States should play in Syria, but action is essential. There are concerns that Syria’s power vacuum will open further, ripe for exploitation by Islamic groups. armed state groups and other terrorist organizations;
And on Wednesday, U.S. authorities scrambled to investigate and respond to two separate attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Despite occurring thousands of miles apart, both are being investigated as possible acts of terrorism, as the threat of domestic extremism remains as prevalent as ever. It clearly shows that.
As President Trump approaches his second term, the violence and the unexpected collapse of Syria’s dictatorship are raising new questions about how the United States will act.
Bomb-making materials found at AIRBNB in New Orleans, possibly linked to Bourbon Street terrorists: Report
On January 1, 2025, law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were on scene on Bourbon Street after someone allegedly drove a car into a crowd of people early on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing at least 10 people. I am active in Dozens more people were injured when a suspect in a rented pickup truck allegedly bypassed a barricade and drove through a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street. The suspect then got out of his car and fired at the officers, before being shot and killed by police. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
President Trump’s options
President Trump has long opposed the idea of involving the U.S. military in foreign wars. In 2019, it ordered the complete withdrawal of all military personnel from northern Syria.
He reiterated that view in a post on Truth Social last month, saying the United States should have “nothing to do” with the situation in Syria.
“Just let me play,” he said.
It’s unclear whether or how much this week’s deadly attack influenced President Trump’s decision. Early Wednesday morning, 14 people were killed in New Orleans. Shamsud Din Jabbar, a Texas native and U.S. Army veteran, drove from Houston to Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck and plowed through the crowds outside the famous bar. Celebrate the new year. Jabbar himself was shot dead by police.
FBI officials said that Jabbar, who had an Islamic State flag affixed to his rented car, was “100% inspired by ISIS” in carrying out the attack, but they did not believe that Jabbar, who had an Islamic State flag affixed to his rented car, was “100% inspired by ISIS” in carrying out the attack. It remains unclear whether there is a legitimate connection.
Officials said Jabbar has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and is believed to have joined the group this summer. The suspect was also seen on surveillance footage planting two explosive devices, one in a cooler along the corner of Bourbon Street and Orleans Street and another nearby intersection, both of which were later recovered by the bomb squad. secured safely.
Separately, the FBI announced that it is investigating the Las Vegas explosion in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas as a possible act of terrorism.
The suspect in the attack, Matthew Alan Libersberger, was a member of the U.S. Army’s elite special forces before the explosion, and FBI officials said Thursday they believe he may be connected to the attack. , a home in Colorado Springs was searched.
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Investigators search a rental home occupied by Shamsud-Din Jabbar on Thursday, January 2, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Fox News Digital’s Kat Ramirez)
If President Trump chooses to maintain his longstanding opposition to U.S. involvement in “foreign wars,” there are other options he could take to crack down on violent attacks at home. This could include immigration crackdowns to prevent threatening individuals from crossing the border, a policy long embraced by President Trump and many Republicans in Congress.
In fact, the Department of Homeland Security told reporters in June that it had identified more than 400 migrants from Central Asia and other countries who had been smuggled into the United States by ISIS-affiliated smuggling rings over the past three years. Arrest and designation as a “person of interest.”
DHS officials said the arrests, first reported by NBC, were made out of an “abundance of caution,” saying there were no known credible threats to the United States from the immigrants at the time and they were simply looking for them. He pointed out that it may have been just that. How to enter America
Still, border enforcement alone may not be enough to solve the problem, which is further complicated by the role of lone wolf threat actors and individuals who become radicalized online.
At least 10 people were reportedly killed when a driver plowed into a group of people on Bourbon Street. (WVUE)
pervasive threat
The FBI is focused on the risk of terrorism posed by domestic and domestic violent extremists, as noted in its latest Global Threats to the Homeland report.
The report notes that these small groups and individuals pose the greatest risk to national security, often using readily available weapons such as guns and cars to attack so-called Attack “soft targets” – groups of civilians huddled together in accessible locations.
“The greatest and most pressing international terrorist threat to the homeland” is defined as a law enforcement agency that is primarily located in the United States and that acts inspired by, rather than explicitly directed by, a foreign terrorist organization such as ISIS. I am an individual who Said.
In early December, the FBI and other authorities warned of an increased risk of vehicle attacks by lone wolf criminals during the holidays, announcing on a shared bulletin board that threat actors had been “planning attacks against holiday targets and… The target likely includes public places where large gatherings are held and “are considered to have a low level of security.”
The threat has not gone away either. President Trump’s first term was marked by multiple attacks by individuals pledging allegiance to ISIS and other jihadi groups. Even if they are not acting under the direction of the organization itself. These individuals are responsible for the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, the 2017 New York City truck attack, the 2017 machete attack at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and many other acts of violence. did.
Attacks by vehicles are also on the rise. According to a report by think tank New America, there have been at least 16 vehicular ramming attacks by jihadist individuals in the United States and Europe since 2014.
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And since 2020, the number of domestic terrorism investigations conducted by the FBI has more than doubled, a staggering rate that illustrates both the scope and complexity of the growing problem.
FBI officials told reporters at a press conference Thursday that New Orleans attack suspect Shamsuddin Jabbar was “100% inspired by ISIS.”
“First and foremost, I want to be clear on this point,” FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Christopher Reier told reporters. “This was an act of terrorism. It was a planned and evil act.”
Brianne Depiche is a political reporter for FOX News Digital, covering the 2024 election and other national news.
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