The FBI has stated that they believe the perpetrator of the New Orleans terrorist attack, which resulted in 15 deaths on New Year’s Eve, acted alone.
Authorities made this statement during a press conference, adding that there is no further risk to New Orleans residents. Earlier, investigators had been looking into whether the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen from Texas and a former Army reservist who had served in Afghanistan, had any accomplices in the planned attack.
The 42-year-old appeared to be inspired by ISIS, and the FBI confirmed that he had an ISIS flag in the truck he used to hit the crowd. He died after exchanging gunfire with the police.
On Wednesday evening, President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to the victims’ families and said that the suspect had made several actions just hours before the attack that revealed his ideology. President Biden said law enforcement and intelligence agencies are continuing to search for any potential connections or accomplices, and the investigation remains active.
“He posted videos on social media showing that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill. The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to carry out the attack. Explosives were also found in the vehicle, and more explosives were found nearby,” he said.
Investigators found weapons and an improvised explosive device inside the vehicle. In addition, authorities discovered other explosive devices at a house near the explosion site, where a fire had broken out.
For 18-year-old Zion Parsons, it was his first time in New Orleans. He said the scene looked like a war zone.
“There were bodies all over the street. Everyone was screaming. You saw someone trying to save someone else, saw people crying, body parts everywhere. It was painful to see one of my close friends get hit,” he said.
The tourist district of New Orleans remains under tight security measures.
The attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon to carry out mass killings and the deadliest ISIS-inspired attack on U.S. soil in years.
Clara Broekart, a terrorism expert, told Voice of America that there had been a noticeable increase in ISIS-inspired attempts globally in 2024, including in the United States.
“Sometimes the potential attacker was simply inspired by ISIS, consumed propaganda from the Islamic State, and aimed to carry out an attack in support of the Islamic State. But we’ve also seen attempts where people based in the U.S. were in contact with ISIS recruiters online,” she said.
The FBI also stated that there was no connection between the attack in New Orleans and an explosion in Las Vegas outside the Trump Hotel, where a person inside the vehicle died. /VOA
