Into the Crowd: The Evolution of Vehicular Attacks and Prevention Efforts

technical knowledge is required outside of the target selection phase of the attack. Access to a vehicle can be gained through various means such as theft (as seen in Berlin in 2016 where Anis Amri stole the truck he used to target the Breitscheidplatz Christmas Market)¹⁰ or taken from work (as seen in an attack in Jerusalem in 2008 involving a bulldozer).¹¹

In other cases, assailants have used their personal vehicles during attacks, as seen as in a car-ramming attack in Munster, Germany, in 2018¹² and Waukesha, Wisconsin, in December 2021.¹³ In numerous cases, perpetrators rented—at no significant cost—the vehicles they used in attacks. For example, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who carried out what remains the deadliest vehicular attack in history in 2016 in Nice, France, rented a truck for a few thousand euros.¹⁴ The rise of vehicle-sharing apps, similar to the one used by the New Orleans attacker, can reduce the cost of obtaining a vehicle while at the same time allow perpetrators to avoid whatever scrutiny they might face from commercial car renting companies.^a

Perpetrators of vehicular attacks also have access to a vast number of potential targets given the growth of pedestrianized areas in urban centers and of open-air gatherings following the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite attempts by authorities to protect certain zones where there is high foot traffic, it remains all too easy for perpetrators to find targets. According to an examination by the authors of mass casualty attacks in the West between January 2012 and December 2022—defined as attacks in which four or more victims were killed—vehicular ramming was the second most common method used after mass shootings.¹⁵

Vehicular attacks also have a particularly shocking component, due to their speed and kinetic force and the fact that they occur in highly vulnerable pedestrian spaces. This facilitates an important aspect of terrorism: media coverage, especially if images or videos of the attack are posted online or broadcast. In the case of the Magdeburg attack, CCTV images immediately spread on social media in the minutes following the attack, before being broadcast on traditional channels. Some assailants seek to maximize the media impact, with one example being the New Orleans attacker flying an Islamic State flag at the back of his attack vehicle.¹⁶

Countering vehicular attacks is hugely challenging. Potential targets are numerous, changing in number according to seasonal activities, events, or time of day. The type of vehicle used by