The tragedy in New Orleans, where Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar allegedly drove a truck into a crowd on New Year’s Eve, highlights a dangerous cocktail of factors that demand serious scrutiny. Jabbar’s extensive military background and his reported extremist motivations are now the subject of an FBI investigation, and the findings so far are both alarming and instructive.
Data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) reveals a disturbing pattern: individuals with military backgrounds who radicalize often gravitate toward mass violence. According to START researcher Michael Jensen, “The No. 1 predictor of being classified as a mass casualty offender was having a U.S. military background — that outranked mental health problems, being a loner, or having a criminal history.” Jabbar, who served a decade in the Army and was deployed in Afghanistan, fits this profile.
The fact that Jabbar’s reported motivations were jihadist in nature puts him in the minority among extremist plotters with military ties. START’s data shows that over 80% of radicalized former service members align with far-right, anti-government, or white supremacist ideologies, while the rest, like Jabbar, are driven by far-left or jihadist beliefs. But regardless of ideology, the combination of military training and radicalization amplifies the potential for catastrophic violence.
The Defense Department has raised alarms about the growing influence of extremist ideologies within the veteran community. A 2023 report noted that the loss of military identity often contributes to difficulties in adjusting to civilian life, which can lead to “negative behaviors.” This is not an indictment of veterans as a whole; most serve honorably and continue to contribute positively to society. But the dangers posed by a radicalized few cannot be ignored.
The FBI’s investigation will likely explore whether Jabbar acted alone or had co-conspirators. One thing is clear: the system failed somewhere along the line, allowing a man with a dangerous ideology and a military background to commit an atrocity.
This is yet another example of what happens when we ignore the real threats to national security while chasing politically convenient narratives. Democrats would rather paint concerned parents at school board meetings as “domestic terrorists” than confront the hard truths about radicalization. Conservatives have long warned about the dangers of ignoring ideological extremism, whether it comes from the far-right, far-left, or jihadist groups. It’s time for serious, bipartisan efforts to address the root causes of radicalization instead of pandering to political talking points.
