From New Orleans to London, how vehicles have been turned into deadly weapons

FP Explainers • January 2, 2025, 10:57:35 IST

In a shocking incident, a man went on a rampage slamming a vehicle into a crowd of people in New Orleans amid New Year celebrations. But this is not the first time that vehicles have been used for such attacks. From the recent Christmas market attack in Germany to a string of attacks in London in 2017, here is how cars have been used

From New Orleans to London, how vehicles have been turned into deadly weapons

Security personnel investigate the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday January 1, 2025. AP

In a shocking case of violence, a man rammed a pick-up truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans celebrating New Year on Wednesday (January 1). As many as 15 people have lost their lives in the carnage that shook the country. The FBI is yet to find a motive for the attack but the agency is already investigating it as a terrorist attack.

This is one of the many ‘vehicle attacks’ that have taken place in the recent past. While some of these were caused due to extreme politics others were the result of mental illness or misogyny.

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The threat of vehicles being used as weapons has fundamentally altered urban landscapes. Cities worldwide are implementing countermeasures, such as installing concrete barriers in public spaces and incorporating anti-vehicle obstacles into new developments.

New Orleans (January 1, 2025)

On New Year’s Day, a horrific incident unfolded in New Orleans’ French Quarter when a vehicle intentionally rammed into a crowd of pedestrians. The attack, carried out by a US citizen from Texas identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people and injuries to dozens more.

During a subsequent confrontation with law enforcement, Jabbar was fatally shot. The FBI, investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism, recovered several suspected explosive devices from the vehicle. Additionally, a flag associated with the Islamic State group was found at the scene.

Magdeburg, Germany (December 20, 2024)

Just a few days ago, a similar incident took place in Germany when a car was slammed into a Christmas market. At least five people were killed while more than 200 others were injured in the incident. Police arrest a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who has renounced Islam and supports the far-right AfD party.

Zhuhai, China (November 11, 2024)

In a tragic incident in southern China, a 62-year-old driver intentionally drove his car into a group of people exercising at a sports complex, resulting in the deaths of 35 individuals. This marked one of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent years.

Authorities attributed the driver’s actions to his distress over a recent divorce. He subsequently pleaded guilty to endangering public safety through dangerous means and was sentenced to death.

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London, Ontario (June 6, 2021)

In a horrific act of violence, four members of a Muslim family were killed when they were struck by a pick-up truck driven by Nathaniel Veltman. Condemning the attack as an act of terrorism motivated by hatred, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Veltman had been sentenced to life in prison.

Toronto (April 23, 2018)

In a devastating attack in Toronto, a 25-year-old man named Alek Minassian drove a rental van into pedestrians on Yonge Street, the city’s main thoroughfare. This resulted in the deaths of 10 people, primarily women, and injuries to 16 others. Minassian, who claimed affiliation with an online community of sexually frustrated men known as “incels,” was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

New York (October 31, 2017)

Sayfullo Saipov, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan, drove a pickup truck onto a popular New York City bike path, killing eight people. He was convicted of federal terrorism charges and sentenced to 10 life sentences plus 260 years in prison.

Barcelona (August 17, 2017)

A man rammed a van into people on the Spanish city’s crowded Las Ramblas boulevard, killing 14 and injuring others. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Several members of the same cell carried out a similar attack in the nearby resort town of Cambrils, killing one person.

Charlottesville, Virginia (August 12, 2017)

During a “Unite the Right” rally, white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one woman and injuring dozens of people. Fields is serving a life sentence for murder and hate crimes.

**Police secure the area on the south side of Westminster Bridge close to the Houses of Parliament in London. File image/AP**

London (June 19, 2017)

Darren Osborne, a man radicalised by far-right ideas, slammed a van into worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park, killing one man and injuring 15 people. Osborne was sentenced to life in prison.

London (June 3, 2017)

Three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in nearby Borough Market. Eight people were killed while the attackers were shot dead by police.

London (March 22, 2017)

British man Khalid Masood rammed an SUV into people on Westminster Bridge, killing four, then fatally stabbed a policeman guarding the Houses of Parliament. Masood is shot dead.

Melbourne, Australia (January 20, 2017)

Six people were killed and more than 30 injured when a car hit lunchtime crowds at a pedestrian mall in Australia’s second-largest city. James Gargasoulas was found to have been in a state of drug-induced psychosis and later sentenced to life in prison.

Berlin (December 19, 2016)

Anis Amri, a rejected asylum-seeker from Tunisia, ploughed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in the German capital, killing 13 people and injuring dozens. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

**Christmas decoration sticks in a smashed window of a cabin of a truck which ran into a crowded market in Berlin, Germany. File image/AP**

Nice, France (July 14, 2016)

Tunisian-born French resident Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel rammed a rented truck for more than a mile (almost 2 kilometres) along a packed seaside promenade in the French Riviera resort on the Bastille Day holiday, killing 86 people in the deadliest attack of its kind. He was killed by police, but eight other people were sentenced to prison for helping orchestrate the attack.

Apeldoorn, Netherlands (April 28, 2009)

Former security guard Karst Tates drove a car into parade spectators in an attempt to hit an open-topped bus carrying members of the Dutch royal family. Six people lost their lives and Tates died of injuries the next day, leaving his full motive a mystery.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina (March 3, 2006)

University of North Carolina graduate Mohammed Taheri-Azar slammed an SUV into a crowd at the university, slightly injuring nine people, in a self-professed bid to avenge Muslim deaths overseas. He was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison.

With inputs from AP