The Islamic State lauded the man who killed 14 people when he rammed a truck into a busy New Orleans street early on New Year’s Day, with the group claiming in a digital newsletter dated Thursday that its online propaganda had inspired the attack.
The group said the attacker who ran over pedestrians walking on Bourbon Street was “influenced by the discourse and messaging of the Islamic State.” but its message stopped short of claiming responsibility.
The newsletter bulletin, obtained by the Counter Extremism Project, a terrorism watchdog, appeared to mock the American news media for “holding its breath” while waiting for ISIS to claim the attack.
While the ISIS message did not directly mention New Orleans, it did describe an attack by an American man and referenced Meta glasses. The F.B.I. has said the attacker, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, was wearing Meta glasses. and the Counter Extremism Project said the ISIS message was referring to the New Orleans attack.
The truck driven by Mr. Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Texas, carried an ISIS flag. Mr. Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with New Orleans police, also left a chilling recorded message for his family, telling them he had joined the terrorist group.
The authorities have denied that Mr. Jabbar had active connections to the terrorist group, but the F.B.I. said he was “100 percent inspired by ISIS.”
It is unclear what online content Mr. Jabbar may have consumed before the attack, but ISIS produces weekly newsletters as part of a sophisticated media operation that keeps its far-flung factions connected.
Experts say this latest claim is unusual for the group.
“Unlike other attacks in the past, where ISIS has released a claim of responsibility for the attack, in this case, the group has stated that the attacker was inspired by ISIS propaganda messaging but does not claim they had a direct relationship,” said Joshua Fisher-Birch, a researcher at the Counter Extremism Project.
The ISIS statement’s emphasis on the importance of people who translate and share ISIS content, Mr. Fisher-Birch said, “speaks to the efforts to continue the spread of the group’s official messaging and unofficial propaganda efforts made by supporters.”
He added that the article included a clear call for future attacks during events and holidays.
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