Author: Eve Sampson
Published on: 01/01/2025 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:
Vehicle ramming attacks transform a bland, everyday object into a lethal, semi-strategic weapon. The tactic gives “marginal actors” the ability to “strike at the heart of urban centers and sow fear in the wider society,” researchers wrote in a 2019 study published in The British Journal of Criminology. Terrorist groups began using vehicles to indiscriminately attack people in the 1990s. The majority of the 184 vehicle-ramming attacks between 1963 and mid-2019 took place in Israel and the West Bank. In a 2010 article, Al Qaeda encouraged adherents to use vehicles to mow down the enemies of Allah. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack; investigators said the driver had been self-radicalized by watching jihadist videos, with no evidence linking him directly to the terrorist group. Last month, a man drove into a crowd in Magdeburg, killing at least five people. In 2018, New York City said it would install 1,500 metal bollards at some of the city’s most-visited locations. But recent events have shown how difficult it can be to eliminate the threat entirely. An Islamic State flag found in the suspect’s truck has raised the specter that the international terrorist group played a role in the attack. Officials said that bollards along a section of Bourbon Street had been removed for repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl. Hours after the attack, President-elect Donald Trump falsely suggested on social media that the suspect was an immigrant.

Original: 1245 words Summary: 250 words Percent reduction: 79.92%

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