FBI issued 'vehicle-ramming' warning ahead of Bourbon Street mass casualty incident: report
Hours after 10 people were killed and 30 were injured when a man plowed through Bourbon Street in his pick up truck on New Year's Day, ABC News reports that last month, authorities warned police that "low-tech vehicle-ramming" could potentially occur during the holiday season and urged them to "prepare".
Per the report, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center on December 6 "issued a joint intel bulletin warning law enforcement about the ongoing serious threat posed by lone offenders during the winter holiday season."
The bulletin, according to ABC, "cited a November 2021 vehicle-ramming attack that killed six people during a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, among recent incidents during the winter holiday."
READ MORE: Ten dead after mass casualty incident on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street: reports
The announcement also noted, "Lone offenders have historically used simple tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or vehicle ramming, due to their ease of access, ability to inflict mass casualties, and lack of required training."
ABC reports, "Investigators are working to determine whether the suspect" — who was killed shortly after the incident by law enforcement after he exited the vehicle and opened fire — "entered the country recently and whether he had a connection to ISIS."
READ MORE: Ex-FBI official lays out 'split-second decisions' police had to make during Bourbon Street massacre
ABC News' full report is available here.
