US President Joe Biden announced that, according to the FBI's findings, the New Orleans attacker posted a video on the Internet in which he admitted that he was inspired by the so-called Islamic State. There is conflicting information about whether the attacker could have had any collaborators. Meanwhile, the FBI reported conducting operations in Houston, where the perpetrator of the attack lived.
On Wednesday morning, 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, driving a white pickup truck, broke through police barricades and drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in the tourist center of New Orleans, the French Quarter. He then took out a rifle and started shooting, slightly injuring two policemen. He died on the spot. Authorities announced Wednesday evening that the death toll from the attack had risen to 15. 30 others were injured.
“The FBI reported to me that just hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by the so-called Islamic State, expressing a desire to kill,” US President Joe Biden said in a brief speech at the Camp David presidential facility in Maryland.
Biden confirmed earlier information that the attacker, 42-year-old Shamsad-Din Jabbar, was born in Texas and served in the US Army for many years.
Services at the scene of the attackGerald Herbert/Associated Press/East News
FBI: the attacker was a US citizen and had an ISIS flag
In a statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed the identity of the perpetrator, previously reported by the American media. “The perpetrator was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas (…) An Islamic State flag was found in his vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the perpetrator's potential connections and affiliation with terrorist organizations,” it was reported.
A weapon and two explosives were found in the perpetrator's car and were neutralized. Other potential explosives were also found in New Orleans' French Quarter, which is popular with tourists.
The FBI also reported that the car that Jabbar drove into a crowd of New Year's partygoers was rented. Earlier, NBC contacted the family of the vehicle's owner from Houston, who said he rented his car through a mobile app.
So far, Fox News reports that the perpetrator crossed the border into the US from Mexico two days before the attack have not been confirmed, nor have the suggestions of President-elect Donald Trump, who linked the attack with immigrants on social media, been confirmed.
Publicly available information confirmed by the FBI shows that Jabbar served in the US Army as an IT employee and later worked in IT and real estate companies. He was divorced.
Investigators are investigating the New Orleans attackEPA
Investigators analyzed camera footage showing four people planting improvised bombs near the site of the attack, the Associated Press reported.
As AP reported, citing a document obtained from the Louisiana State Police, camera records show three men and one woman planting explosives. The FBI reported on Wednesday that several improvised bombs were found at the crime scene, two of which were neutralized. None of them exploded during the attack.
The authorities also said that the 42-year-old perpetrator of the attack, Sasmud-Din Jabbar, who had a flag of the so-called Islamic State (IS) in his car, did not act alone and that the search for his accomplices was ongoing. The FBI later said it was investigating Houston, where Jabbar lived.
Meanwhile, CNN and other media have reported that despite authorities' previous claims that Jabbar likely had accomplices, they now believe he likely acted alone. It turned out that the surveillance footage that was supposed to show people planting bombs actually showed innocent bystanders.
Possible connections with the explosion near Trump's hotel
In his speech, President Biden confirmed reports that the FBI is investigating the explosion of a Tesla near Donald Trump's hotel in Las Vegas, where the driver of the vehicle was killed.
READ ALSO: Tesla explosion in front of Trump's hotel
The services are analyzing possible connections between the two events, but Biden emphasized that nothing has been established so far. The president also emphasized that “the situation is very fluid and the investigation is still at an early stage.”
– The law enforcement intelligence community continues to search for any connections, accomplices or co-conspirators. We have no additional reports at this time, the investigation remains active and no one should jump to conclusions, Biden said.
Main photo source: EPA