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

Protective Security Lab at Coventry University. He works as a security consultant and analyst, specializing in terrorism, mass shootings, and violent extremism in the French national security apparatus. He is the author of Le Jihad en France: 2012-2022 (not yet available in English).

Justin Quinn Olmstead, Ph.D., is a historian for Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prior to that, he was Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Oklahoma. His most recent book is From Nuclear Weapons to Global Security: 75 Years of Research and Development at Sandia National Laboratories. He is a Resident Fellow at the CMC, a Senior Research Fellow at the Armed Services Institute in the Center for Military Life, Thomas University, Visiting Fellow at the Center for Peace & Security, Coventry University, U.K., and an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Society for Terrorism Research.

Substantive Notes
[a] According to reports, the vehicle used by Shamsud-Din Jabbar in the New Orleans attack was rented via the car-sharing app Turo. Natalie Neysa Alund, “What is Turo? Car rental app was used in both New Orleans attack and Las Vegas explosion,” USA Today, January 2, 2025.

[b] The data includes all cases, including non-ideological ones, in OECD-signatory countries.

Citations
[1] “The ‘atheist’ Saudi refugee suspected of Germany attack,” Agence France-Presse, December 21, 2024.

[2] “Täter nutzte Fluchtweg – hat Sicherheitskonzept versagt?” T-Online, December 21, 2024.

[3] “Magdeburg Christmas market attack deaths rise to six,” BBC, January 6, 2025.

[4] Brian Thevenot and Chris Kirkham, “Exclusive: New Orleans’ planned new Bourbon Street barriers only crash-rated to 10 mph,” Reuters, January 4, 2025.

[5] Tucker Reels and Kerry Breen, “At least 14 killed, dozens hurt on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as driver intentionally slams truck into crowd; attacker dead,” CBS News, January 2, 2025.

[6] Alex Therrien, “Mother and child die from injuries after Munich car attack,” BBC, February 15, 2025.

[7] Nadine El Bawab and Jordana Miller, “At least 13 injured after car rams into bus stop in Israel,” ABC News, February 27, 2025.

[8] “Two dead, several injured in Germany as car rams into crowd,” Monde, March 3, 2025; Orestes Georgiou Daniel, “Mannheim car ramming attack suspect a German with history of mental illness, say investigators,” Euronews, March 3, 2025.

[9] Brian Michael Jenkins and Bruce R. Butterworth, “An Analysis of Vehicle Ramming as a Terrorist Tactic,” Security Perspective, Mineta Transportation Institute, San Jose State University, May 2018.

[10] “Berlin truck attacker Anis Amri killed in Milan,” BBC, December