Investigations into a deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans remain “fluid”, US President Joe Biden has said, with police examining whether the French Quarter massacre is linked to a Tesla truck explosion outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.
No evidence has yet confirmed a link, Mr Biden said, pledging to keep Americans updated “contemporaneously” as the investigation proceeds.
The FBI identified the suspect in the New Orleans attack as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who drove a Ford pickup truck into Bourbon Street pedestrians, killing 15 and injuring over 30. Jabbar was killed in a shootout with New Orleans police.
Mr Biden announced yesterday that the FBI is leading the probe, treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
Firework mortars and camp fuel canisters were found stuffed into the back of the Tesla Cybertruck, which exploded yesterday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle and sparking an intense investigation into possible terrorism.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials said that a person died inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck and seven people nearby suffered minor injuries.
Jeremy Schwartz, acting special agent in charge for the FBI’s Las Vegas office, said: “Our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident.
“Following that, our second objective is to determine whether this was an act of terrorism or not.”
Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado but are not releasing the name until investigators determine if it is the same person who died.
Jabbar reportedly had an Islamic State flag, weapons, and an improvised explosive device in his vehicle. Additional potential IEDs were found elsewhere in the French Quarter, according to officials.
The Pentagon confirmed Jabbar served as an Army IT specialist from 2007 to 2015 and later in the Army Reserve, including a deployment to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He left the military as a staff sergeant.
Mr Biden said the FBI reported that Jabbar posted videos before the attack claiming inspiration from the Islamic State.
The FBI is investigating potential accomplices and any connection between the attack and the Las Vegas explosion.
Mr Biden, emphasising that resources have been mobilised at all levels to ensure public safety, added: “Police and intelligence agencies are working on this.”
He also rejected Mr Trump’s claim that the attack stemmed from “criminals coming in” to the US, stating the suspect was a Texas-born American citizen.
Mr Trump had written on Truth Social: “When I said the criminals coming in are far worse, that was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true.”
Mr Biden concluded with a tribute to New Orleans, calling it a city of resilience and rich culture.
He said: “New Orleans is unlike any other place, full of charm and joy. Its spirit will never, never, never be defeated.”