The terrorist accused of killing 15 people by plowing a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans had an extensive military background — which is the “No. 1 predictor” for mass casualty offenders, according to one study.
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar’s decade in the Army and his deployment in Afghanistan likely contributed to the development of his extremist views and Wednesday’s ISIS-inspired attack, according to data collected and analyzed by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START).
“The No. 1 predictor of being classified as a mass casualty offender was having a U.S. military background — that outranked mental health problems, that outranked being a loner, that outranked having a previous criminal history or substance abuse issues,” the researchers said.
When people with military backgrounds radicalize, “they tend to radicalize to the point of mass violence,” according to START research director Michael Jensen.
Jensen’s team found that over 80% of extremists with military backgrounds identified with far-right, anti-government or white supremacist ideologies, with the rest split among far-left, jihadist or other motivations.
Veterans taking part in far-right, anti-government or other fringe movements have also allowed extremist plots greater potential for mass injury or death, according to the study.
Extremist ideologies have also become alarmingly common among veterans, according to a 2023 Defense Department report.
While the study found no evidence that the number of violent extremists in the military is any different than the number of radicals among the general public, it noted there is “some indication that the rate of participation by former service members is slightly higher and may be growing.”
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“For the veterans’ community in particular, loss of military identity appears to have a strong association with difficult adjustments to civilian life that can in turn contribute to negative behaviors,” the report said.
Jabbar, a 24-year veteran from Beaumont, Texas, worked as an IT specialist and was stationed in Afghanistan from February 2009 until January 2010, the service branch said.
He served active duty from March 2007 until January 2015 and was a reservist from January 2015 until July 2020.
He left the service at the rank of staff sergeant, according to the Army.
The FBI is investigating the attack, including whether Jabbar acted alone or had co-conspirators.
With Post wires
