In the wake of the New Year’s Day tragedy in New Orleans, Denver7 conducted an interview with a University of Denver researcher to delve deeper into the extent of ISIS’s influence and activity.
The incident occurred on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as a Texas man drove a rented truck into a crowd, resulting in the deaths of 14 individuals. Investigations by federal authorities classified the attack as an act of terrorism, characterized as a “premeditated evil act.”
The perpetrator, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had a background of over ten years of service in the U.S. Army and had purportedly created a series of videos expressing his desire to harm his own family and align with the Islamic State (ISIS).
Jabbar posted five different videos early on New Year’s Day proclaiming support for ISIS, according to the FBI. The first video was posted on social media at 1:29 a.m., with the last video being posted at 3:02 a.m.
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The US has not seen an ISIS-inspired attack in several years. The terrorist organization has been relatively dormant since it lost its territory in 2019.
Denver7 on Friday sat down with Colin Meisel, an international studies researcher at the University of Denver who has been following the evolution of ISIS.
According to Meisel, we’re not seeing a resurgence of ISIS.
“No, we’re not seeing resurgence with ISIS, but they haven’t gone anywhere either,” he said. “And so, with this attack, what we’re seeing is that they’ve maintained a robust digital presence that recruits disaffected individuals around the world. And so, there are still provinces in West Africa and elsewhere, even in Afghanistan, that are active, but they’re much less active than they used to be, and we don’t foresee a broad resurgence anytime soon.”
Meisel said the terrorist organization has adjusted its recruiting methods, compared to how it operated 10 years ago.
 “They’ve had to go a little bit more underground, looking in encrypted chat rooms and things like that. So it’s not as flashy as it used to be but they still are successfully getting a hold of disaffected individuals and getting their attention and attracting them to their cause,” he said.
There have been several Coloradans who have been recruited by ISIS. In 2016, Denver7 sat down with a Colorado father, whose teenage daughter boarded a plane to the Middle East with her two friends with the intent of joining ISIS.
In July 2023, federal authorities arrested a Castle Rock man, 18, for terrorism-related crimes after he attempted to board an international flight to join ISIS. Five months later, authorities arrested a Westminster 18-year-old who also intended to join ISIS.
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While this is the first ISIS-inspired attack on US soil in some time, Meisel said such incidents are still happening around the world.
“Russia has been struggling with this. There have been several, including at a concert hall in Moscow earlier last year, and as I mentioned in West Africa, especially the Lake Chad Basin,” he said. “They’re very active. And so, while they have had many fewer attacks this year, including in Iraq, as well, they’re still active. They’re still around.”
However, Meisel said there’s nothing to worry about, at this time.
“I don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon, but we shouldn’t expect a resurgence either,” he said.
Following the New Orleans attack, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin, warning law enforcement agencies across the country about the potential for copycats, according to ABC News.
A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that so far, there are no signs of ISIS claiming responsibility for the New Orleans attack.
