The New Orleans attacker was inspired by ISIS. How much of a threat is the group in the US?

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Addressing the nation following the attack, President Joe Biden said Jabbar posted videos to social media “indicating he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill.” But how much of a threat does the extremist Islamist militant group pose to Americans today? open image in gallery A general view shows Mosul's Old City, on January 8, 2018, six months after Iraqi forces seized the country's second city from Islamic State group jihadists “The more freedom of maneuver that they tend to have, the more operational space that they tend to have,” Clarke says. “There’s a correlation between that and an uptick in propaganda because then they start focusing on pumping this stuff out, and when it looks like they’re winning in certain places, they’re more likely to inspire followers and supporters to act.” But Clarke adds that there are now fewer resources to deal with the ISIS threat than there were at the height of the group’s power. So the bureau is racking and stacking priorities in a threat picture that is not as clear as it was, say, 10 years ago.” Both Hughes and Clarke agree that this attack may swing the pendulum back the other way and bring more of a focus on ISIS-inspired groups and individuals “We always knew that they were there, and I think this puts the issue at the forefront of policymakers’ concerns now,” Hughes says.