# Truck attack on Bourbon Street \[2025-01-01\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [January 1, 2025, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435 "2025-01-01T12:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/81 "2025-01-02T02:53:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The public still needs a place to walk. You can put up a cordon of cars, trucks, M1 tanks, or whatever you want. it still has to be porous enough to allow a crowd of 50 to 100K people to walk past it. That implies many pretty big gaps Not big enough for cars. The last comparable event I went to was a wine walk in California. A medium town turned two streets in their downtown area that met at a right angle into a pedestrian only zone. _Every single entrance_ to the area was blocked by concrete barriers like these (at a minimum, there were also more impressive barricades): [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/BarreiraNewJersey.JPG) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/BarreiraNewJersey.JPG) The only gaps were narrow, just a bit wider than a wheelchair, and usually had another barricade a few feet past them, meaning that to enter the area you had to go past the first barrier, then make a 90 degree turn to walk to an entrance past the 2nd barrier. I even commented to my wife at the time that this must be in response to ramming attacks. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/82 "2025-01-02T02:57:16Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > It sounds like maybe New Orleans did the first, but doesn’t want to admit that for whatever reason. The reason is that they don’t want to admit to negligent behavior. In my experience from SoCal, over the last few years completely blocking off zones for these types of events has become pretty standard. Even in towns much smaller and more remote than New Orleans. And we just saw the attack in Germany that should have reminded authorities why that is. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/83 "2025-01-02T05:21:09Z")
In the meantime, I heard on my local news that part of north Houston was being made a no-fly zone (yeah, they mean business!) and a second person was taken into custody. This footage, which was probably taken by drone, showed a man, probably no older than 30, wearing nothing but shorts, walking backwards down a driveway with his hand up towards a camouflaged tank with plenty of armed officers aboard. [Flightradar24.com](http://Flightradar24.com) showed a helicopter earlier that was circling a neighborhood in Bellaire, a southwestern suburb of Houston, and probably originating in the suspect’s neighborhood. It’s gone as I write this (11:20PM Central time). The people who were thought to be placing bombs on the street, which included at least two women, turned out on closer examination to not be doing anything of the sort. This story does go into some detail about the suspect’s adult life, and it did include two divorces, the second one in 2022. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-descent-of-an-army-vet-turned-corporate-consultant-named-in-the-new-year-s-attack/ar-AA1wPcMV?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=b6d99d00404b4ab0b3e19ef60f49968b&ei=28](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-descent-of-an-army-vet-turned-corporate-consultant-named-in-the-new-year-s-attack/ar-AA1wPcMV?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=b6d99d00404b4ab0b3e19ef60f49968b&ei=28) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/84 "2025-01-02T14:07:33Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The people who were thought to be placing bombs on the street, which included at least two women, turned out on closer examination to not be doing anything of the sort. [Specific cite:](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-orleans-video-shows-4-suspects-planting-explosives-as-police-find-pipe-bombs-in-truck/ar-AA1wOuof) > Investigators have clarified that the four individuals seen in a video and [thought to be placing explosives](https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/breaking-fbi-doesnt-believe-new-885499) were NOT involved in the [New Orleans New Year’s Day attack](https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/article885609.ece?token=-97926506&previewAll=false). > > The footage had initially raised suspicions about their [potential link to the attack](https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/breaking-video-shows-4-suspects-885603), which killed 15 people and injured several others. However, following an in-depth review, authorities determined the four people had no connection to the crime. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/85 "2025-01-02T14:14:30Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > This footage, which was probably taken by drone, showed a man, probably no older than 30, wearing nothing but shorts, walking backwards down a driveway with his hand up towards a camouflaged tank with plenty of armed officers aboard. Did you mean to link that footage? Also, did they bring in the army? Why is there a camouflaged tank in the city of Houston? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/86 "2025-01-02T14:20:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Why is there a camouflaged tank in the city of Houston? You mean the armored truck with “Sherriff” written on it? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/87 "2025-01-02T14:26:35Z")
I don’t know, since i only have the text in this thread to go off of. 🤷‍♀️ I also asked about the link. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/88 "2025-01-02T14:30:10Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Googling the name before a zillion articles about him are written, I found public records of a divorce case from 2021. A contested divorce case, with restraining orders filed. > > Did a bitter divorce lead to isolation and radicalization? Looks like I was right. > [@](#): > > Addressing the nation from Camp David on Wednesday evening, President Joe Biden said, “The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he’s inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill.” > > … > > The FBI is studying videos the suspect appears to have recorded while driving from Texas to Louisiana, law enforcement sources told ABC News. > > The suspect is not seen but is allegedly heard talking about his divorce and about a desire to kill members of his family before ultimately deciding to carry out the attack on Bourbon Street, the sources said. > > The suspect is also heard talking about ISIS, the sources said. I also saw that his ex wife’s dad says he has been getting crazier and crazier lately, and converted to Islam just a few years ago. In a way, it makes a certain twisted kind of sense; radical forms of Islam are very patriarchal, and may offer the same comfort to a man who feels “emasculated” by society/a divorce as the whole “red pill” movement does. In fact, I think there _are_ some big “red pill” creators who blend Islam and misogyny. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/89 "2025-01-02T14:36:27Z")
So I’m wondering where this guy got a ISIS flag from. A person can be “trained” online and (presumably) download an ISIS flag/logo to print and put on the wall behind them for videos. But this guy presumably had a cloth flag. Can’t download one of those. Does ISIS mail them out? Would a tshirt printing shop or website do a size XXXL black tshirt with truly whatever design you want, or would someone who ordered that end up on the FBI’s radar? Of course, all this presumes it really was an ISIS flag. The only video I’ve seen has the flag on the back of the stationary truck covered in a gray coat. This schmuck’s four bomb-planting accomplices turned out not to be so, showing once again that early reports should be taken with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/90 "2025-01-02T14:40:51Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > So I’m wondering where this guy got a ISIS flag from. They have what purports to be ISIS flags on Etsy ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/91 "2025-01-02T14:41:50Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > Of course, all this presumes it really was an ISIS flag. The only video I’ve seen has the flag on the back of the stationary truck covered in a gray coat. This schmuck’s four bomb-planting accomplices turned out not to be so, showing once again that early reports should be taken with a grain of salt. In the interest of accuracy, this is a very bad comparison. The police and FBI communicated, and the news media related, very different statements in these two contexts. On the ISIS flag, they first said that there was a “black” flag on the car, and later, that it was an ISIS flag. On the “accomplices”, they said something fairly different: that they had footage of four people who showed up near where they found IEDs, who they wanted to question. And that’s all true; they did question those people, and clear them of suspicion. Your overall point about being cautious about the early reporting is fair enough, but we can have different levels of confidence in different things we think we know. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/92 "2025-01-02T14:44:01Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > They have what purports to be ISIS flags on Etsy Is it even illegal to have, make, or sell those in the US? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/93 "2025-01-02T14:47:34Z")
I don’t see why it would be. Amazon doesn’t have them but that’s probably because of policy, not law. If I were to buy one, I’d be afraid of an FBI honey trap. Additionally, I can’t read Arabic. The Etsy ones could say “I’m a douche bag” for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/94 "2025-01-02T14:49:25Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Additionally, I can’t read Arabic. The Etsy ones could say “I’m a douche bag” for all I know. I had the same thought. The old “cheap Chinese tattoo on a white guy” syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/95 "2025-01-02T16:31:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > They have what purports to be ISIS flags on Etsy > > Is it even illegal to have, make, or sell those in the US? It’s that pesky 1st amendment thing. > [@Babale](#): > > > [@John\_Bredin](#): > > > > Of course, all this presumes it really was an ISIS flag. The only video I’ve seen has the flag on the back of the stationary truck covered in a gray coat. This schmuck’s four bomb-planting accomplices turned out not to be so, showing once again that early reports should be taken with a grain of salt. > > In the interest of accuracy, this is a very bad comparison. > > The police and FBI communicated, and the news media related, very different statements in these two contexts. > > On the ISIS flag, they first said that there was a “black” flag on the car, and later, that it was an ISIS flag. > > On the “accomplices”, they said something fairly different: that they had footage of four people who showed up near where they found IEDs, who they wanted to question. And that’s all true; they did question those people, and clear them of suspicion. > > Your overall point about being cautious about the early reporting is fair enough, but we can have different levels of confidence in different things we think we know. One of the first pictures that came out showed a furled black flag with what appeared to be some writing that matched the ISIS flag. That was the immediate internet reaction. It turned out to be correct. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/96 "2025-01-02T16:34:30Z")
Parades have been attacked before. The November 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade is an example. Parades can be hard to defend because the route can be several miles long. I know the upcoming Super Bowl makes New Orleans a major target. Sending best wishes for the survivors and the families of people harmed. Horrible tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/97 "2025-01-02T16:42:31Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Is it even illegal to have, make, or sell those in the US? Such a law would be completely unconstitutional. But I’m a little surprised they haven’t tried to find a way to track who buys them. I wouldn’t be shocked if Amazon, Etsy, etc. agreed to cooperate, and it’s only unconstitutional if you get caught. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/98 "2025-01-02T16:53:53Z")
It’s perfectly legal for merchants to sell ISIS flags, and it’s perfectly legal for the FBI to work with merchants to track who’s buying them. There would be limits on what they can do with that information, but I’m sure they could find ways to make it useful. ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/99 "2025-01-02T17:11:32Z")
Reporting now that it’s a lone wolf situation. The terrorist placed IEDs around the city, changed clothes, then took his truck down Bourbon. It was the different clothes that led them to believe it may have been more than one person. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435/100 "2025-01-02T17:24:16Z")
I suspected this was a lone wacko. A Super Bowl conspiracy wouldn’t tip their hand early. Now, security will be even tighter. The Sugar Bowl and Super Bowl will be safer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truck-attack-on-bourbon-street-2025-01-01/1012435.md?page=6)