President Joe Biden met with the families of the victims on Monday, participated in a prayer service, and visited an impromptu memorial in New Orleans to honor those who lost their lives in the deadly attack on New Year’s Day in the historic neighborhood of the city.
Biden and First Lady Jill Biden made their first stop at a memorial on Bourbon Street, where a military veteran carried out the attack by driving a truck into the crowd, killing 14 people and injuring 30 others.
Flowers, messages, and crosses were placed on the sidewalk to honor the victims. The couple then proceeded to St. Louis Cathedral nearby. The President and First Lady met privately with the families of the deceased, survivors, and local law enforcement.
Later, they attended an interfaith service.
During his four years in office, Biden has made dozens of visits to areas affected by violence, natural disasters, and other events. With only two weeks left in office, Monday’s visit to New Orleans may be his final one of this nature.
It is a solemn duty for presidents, although not every leader embraces such a role with as much sensitivity as 82-year-old Biden, who has experienced numerous personal tragedies in his life. His first wife and young daughter died in a car accident in the early 1970s, and his eldest son, Beau, died of cancer in 2015.
“I’ve been through something like that. You can’t say anything to someone who has had such a tragic loss,” Biden told reporters on Sunday.
Biden often speaks privately in such cases with the families, is not hesitant to give out his personal phone number should people want to talk later, and speaks openly and personally about pain.
Surveillance footage captured moments when 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar ran over the crowd with his truck on New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
A black flag of the Islamic State was found in his truck, prompting the FBI to investigate the incident as a terrorist act.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated that federal law enforcement agencies are investigating all possible connections of the attacker.
“Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contact of the attacker that could be relevant to understanding the circumstances of the attack. We will continue to relentlessly fight ISIS and other terrorist organizations wherever they are. They will not find safe haven here,” said President Biden.
Fourteen people were killed in the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, and dozens more were injured. The attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, died after exchanging gunfire with police.
The FBI states that Jabbar had hidden improvised explosive devices on several roads, including an intersection where there is usually heavy pedestrian traffic.
The Department of Homeland Security says this is another case of violent extremism in the country.
“We are facing difficult threats, and that is why we, as a community—not just the federal government but also state and local officials and residents—must remain vigilant and take the necessary measures to prevent acts of violence,” said Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, as reported by VOA.
Later on New Year’s Day, more than 2,000 kilometers away in Nevada, U.S. Army Special Forces member Matthew Livelsberger detonated a rented Tesla truck near the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The Clark County Medical Examiner confirmed that Livelsberger, a decorated soldier who officials say suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, took his own life shortly before the truck exploded. Authorities say no one else was seriously injured.
Law enforcement says they have not found any links between the two attacks.
