Biden reveals details of New Orleans terrorist attack

The FBI is probing an “act of terrorism” following an incident in New Orleans where a man drove a pick-up truck into a large crowd, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35 others.

On the night of January 1, President Joe Biden stated that authorities were also investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas to determine if it was connected to the New Orleans attack, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The FBI has identified the suspect in the New Orleans incident as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. The FBI stated that it did not believe the suspect was solely responsible for the attack and described the investigation as “live.”

The agency, which is leading the investigation, confirmed that an ISIS flag was found on the vehicle and that they were now “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.” 

The US Army reported that Jabbar served as both a human resources specialist and an information technology specialist from 2007 to 2020, including a deployment to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. President Biden mentioned that Jabbar had posted videos on social media before the New Orleans attack, claiming he was inspired by ISIS. 

The president also noted that authorities were investigating the explosion of the Cybertruck in Las Vegas to determine if it was connected to the New Orleans attack. Speaking from Camp David, Biden said there was “nothing to report on that score.”

He added that he had instructed officials to “ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.” 

At least 15 people have been killed, and around 30 others injured after a vehicle plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on early January 1 morning, according to local police and city officials. The driver responsible for a hit-and-run in New Orleans is presumed dead. 

An explosive device was discovered at the location where 15 people were killed.  A Louisiana State Police bulletin circulated among law enforcement has contained a possible clue related to the terrorist attack. The document said surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices. The suspect in the New Orleans terrorist attack, 42-year-old US citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was a veteran of the US Army. The FBI clarified that the suspect completed his military service without any complaints.

By Naila Huseynova