Topline

The FBI no longer believes other suspects were involved in a truck-ramming attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people early on New Year’s Day, officials said Thursday – a reversal after the FBI previously identified suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar who was said to have been inspired by ISIS, probably did not act alone.

Important facts

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Who is Shamsud-Din Jabbar?

The FBI described Jabbar as a U.S.-born citizen who was honorably discharged from the Army. In 2022 divorce documents obtained by the Times, Jabbar said he earned about $120,000 a year at Deloitte but listed late house payments and credit card debt. He had two minor arrests, in 2002 for theft and in 2005 for driving with an invalid license. Further information about Jabbar can be found here.

What do we know about the victims?

Seven people were identified by friends or family as among those killed, although law enforcement authorities have not released the victims’ identities and said they will wait until autopsies are completed and next of kin can be notified. Those killed include former Princeton University football player Tiger Bech, University of Alabama freshman Kareen Badawi and 25-year-old Matthew Tenedorio. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that at least 10 more people are “clinging to life” in local hospitals.

Will the Sugar Bowl be affected?

The annual Sugar Bowl college football game between the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame was scheduled to take place Wednesday night but has been postponed until Thursday. The event is expected to attract tens of thousands of fans from across the country. However, Murrill told “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning that she believes the game should be postponed for at least another day as the investigation continues and “out of respect for the dead and their families.”

When will Bourbon Street reopen?

Bourbon Street — a popular tourist area — will reopen Thursday afternoon, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. A local hotel worker told The New York Times he expects the area to return to its normal state of hustle and bustle Thursday night after the Notre Dame-Georgia game.

Why are police investigating a house fire and an Airbnb rental?

Officials believe improvised explosive devices may have been assembled at an Airbnb rental in New Orleans, Murrill told NBC on Wednesday. She added that a house fire early Wednesday appeared to be related to the incident.

Where else does the investigation take place?

Beyond New Orleans, the FBI says it is conducting “law enforcement operations” north of Houston. The agency told CNN late Wednesday that it was conducting a “court-authorized search of a location” in the city that appeared to be linked to Jabbar, and the Times reported that investigators were visiting the Houston home of Jabbar’s ex-wife would have.

Why didn’t barriers protect Bourbon Street?

A set of removable metal bollards meant to block cars from entering Bourbon Street were not in place during the attack, Cantrell confirmed Wednesday afternoon. The mayor said the city was in the process of replacing the bollards, which were first installed over a decade ago before New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl next month, and they were not up late Tuesday because the project was “close to.” “Graduation”. Kirkpatrick noted that the street was still blocked by a police car instead of metal bollards, but the suspect drove onto the sidewalk to get around the vehicle: “We actually had a plan, but the terrorist foiled it.” Jeff Landry, Louisiana’s governor, however, said: “We recognize we have a problem here” and promised that finding a solution was a “top priority.”

How does the FBI define a terrorist incident?

In the hours after the attack, there was initial confusion over whether law enforcement was investigating the incident as a terrorist incident, as the mayor of New Orleans and an FBI special agent gave conflicting answers. Mayor LaToya Cantrell immediately called it a terrorist attack, while the FBI’s Alethea Duncan said, “This is not a terrorist event.” However, in a follow-up statement, the FBI confirmed that the attack was being investigated “as an act of terrorism.” The initial difference is likely due to the FBI having specific criteria for classifying an incident as an “act of terrorism.” The agency defines international terrorism as “violent criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with specific foreign terrorist organizations or nations.” Domestic terrorism is similar acts committed by “Committed by individuals and/or groups in pursuit of additional ideological goals based on domestic influences, such as political, religious, social, racial or environmental.” On its website, the agency notes that it is “bound by the guidelines issued by the Attorney General, which establish a consistent guideline” for when a terrorism investigation may be initiated. The FBI says its counterterrorism investigations “focus on the group’s unlawful activities, not the ideological orientation of its members.”

What did Trump say about the attack?

President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday and Thursday that the attack confirmed his claims about a rise in crime in the United States and linked the attack to immigration, although law enforcement officials reported that Jabbar was a U.S.-born citizen from Texas. Trump said on Wednesday: “The criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country,” and on Thursday tried to link the attack to Biden’s border policies. “I have said many times at rallies and elsewhere that radical Islamic terrorism and other forms of violent crime in America are becoming so bad that it is difficult to imagine or believe,” he wrote Thursday. “That’s it.” Come on, just worse than ever imagined.

Is the attack in New Orleans related to the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas?

Raia said there was no clear connection. Hours after the attack in New Orleans, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The explosion is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, multiple news outlets reported. However, according to law enforcement, it is not clear what caused the explosion or whether it was a terrorist incident. Biden said federal officials were looking into possible connections but had nothing to report so far, and Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said his department was “not ruling anything out yet.”

Were the New Orleans and Las Vegas trucks both rented from Turo?

The Ford allegedly used in New Orleans and the Tesla that exploded in Las Vegas were both rented through Turo, a peer-to-peer online platform that allows car owners to rent their vehicles to others, the company told multiple news outlets. Turo said it “does not believe that any of the tenants involved in the attacks in Las Vegas and New Orleans had a criminal background that would have classified them as a security risk.”

Further reading

New Orleans truck attack suspect identified by FBI – this is what we know about him (Forbes)

7 New Orleans Attack Victims Identified by Families – Here’s What We Know So Far (Forbes)