Sarah Adams warns of sleeper cells planning terror attacks in the US

In January 2025, a horrific Islamic extremist terror attack occurred in New Orleans, resulting in the deaths of 14 civilians. The assailant, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, deliberately drove his vehicle into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day, raising significant concerns about future terrorist threats in the United States, particularly from radical Islamist sleeper cells. Sarah Adams, a former CIA targeter, had foreseen such attacks months prior, hinting at the existence of numerous sleeper cells across the nation. This attack has renewed scrutiny about the preparedness of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement to address the evolving threat landscape. Notably, the FBI's initial handling of this situation drew criticism, especially given warnings from its director about heightened terrorism risks in early March 2024. There is considerable concern that political factors have compromised the focus of government agencies on foreign terror threats, whereby the resources allocated for identifying and tackling such issues have been diminished. The perception that the political climate has overshadowed the critical need to monitor genuine terrorist activities only compounds the issue. The National security implications of this event reflect broader systemic failures, as bureaucracy slows response efforts, resulting in an inability to acknowledge, let alone act upon, the danger posed by domestic terrorism. Furthermore, as new tactics are employed with the use of drones, there is a pressing need for the government to adapt swiftly to these evolving challenges to ensure public safety. Achieving a balanced and vigilant approach to intelligence is imperative to avert further tragedies amid a backdrop of increasing extremist threats.