“British terror police are on red alert over fears of copycat attacks following the New Orleans atrocity. Counter-terrorism chiefs and intelligence officers are monitoring for signs the attack, which killed at least 14 people in the US city, could inspire jihadis to commit more atrocities… Professor Ian Acheson, senior adviser at the Counter Extremism Project, told the Daily Express: "The New Orleans atrocity should greatly concern the security and intelligence services here. "There are tens of thousands of subjects of interest on MI5 watchlists. Islamic State encouraged its adherents to use vehicles to attack Christmas markets late last year and we saw another murderous attack in Magdeburg only a few weeks ago.”

“In New Orleans, a military veteran drove into a crowd. The flag of the extremist militia Islamic State (IS) was apparently found in the car. Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler speaks about a possible return of IS to Europe.”

... Individuals susceptible to recruitment “might have lost their jobs, might have had a mental health crisis, might have just concluded that however hard they’ve tried, they never belong," said Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat who led a U.N. team that monitors Islamic State and al Qaeda. The main appeal of Islamic State is its determination to establish a Sunni Muslim “caliphate” ruled by Islamic law, unlike the Taliban, which “has sold out to Afghan nationalism,” or al Qaeda, members of which have cooperated with Iran’s Shiite Muslim-run government, he said.”

"Counter-extremism expert Dr Hans-Jakob Schindler told Metro that upheaval and war in the Middle East has strengthened ISIS’s hand, along with major social media companies failing to eradicate terror propaganda."

"While the MTI study traced the first such vehicular attack to 1963, it found that 70 per cent of these have occurred since 2014. Separately, the think tank Counter Extremism Project (CEP) in report in December 2024 noted that at least 82 vehicular terrorist attacks have been reported since 2006, which collectively killed at least 238 people and injured at least 1,278.”"

“The threats posed by the IS terror network have increased in recent years. The terror network has expanded its branches, gained more fighters and increased financial income. IS has expanded in Syria, Iraq and West Africa. The attack in Moscow in March, the attempted attacks on Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna and the attack in Solingen show the increased activities of IS. How can attacks be prevented in the future? What role does the Internet play in this? Terrorism expert Hans-Jakob Schindler says: "Online, all terrorists are alone." Hans-Jakob Schindler explains the current challenges in the fight against international terrorism on SWR1 Leute. Hans-Jakob Schindler heads the Counter Extremism Project, an international organization that aims to counteract the threat posed by extremist ideologies.”

“... According to Gregory Waters from the Counter Extremism Project, the Syrian desert has been instrumental for ISIS as it operates like training grounds, churning out the next generations of fighters often lured from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds. Therefore, the geographical intricacies of Syria and neighboring regions become conducive to intensified recruitment and mobilization activities for ISIS. This high-stakes game of power is not limited to affairs rooted within Afghanistan; neighboring regions such as Pakistan are also under scrutiny. The rugged terrain of Afghanistan presents it as a calculated choice for guerrilla warfare tactics favored by Islamic militants.” 

"IS had maintained training camps in the Syrian desert for many years, according to Gregory Waters, a research analyst at the Counter Extremism Project who closely follows IS activities in central Syria.

"These are the places where it trains the next generation of fighters — often children it recruits from northeast Syria — and where adult fighters can return to in between their operations," Waters told VOA. "While the central Syrian desert is under Russian and Syrian regime control, ISIS does not abide by these arbitrary lines.""