


Law enforcement officials stated Thursday that Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone when he planted two improvised explosive devices and then sped into a crowd on New Orleans’ iconic Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Fourteen people have died and at least 35 more were injured in what FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia called “an act of terrorism” at a press conference.
Raia said that, while the investigation is ongoing, there is “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and a spectacular explosion in Las Vegas that occurred later on New Year’s Day.
The driver of a Tesla Cybertruck, later identified as an active-duty soldier, died after pulling up outside a hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump near the Las Vegas Strip. Authorities are still working to determine whether the incident was intentional.
Jabbar, 42, had made his intentions clear on social media. He wanted to show support for the Islamic State terror group, also known as ISIS, Raia said, noting how Jabbar posted four videos to Facebook shortly before he drove onto Bourbon Street. He said in one of them that he initially thought about harming his friends and family but worried that if he did so, the media would focus less on what he called the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”
The tourist hotspot was reopened to the public Thursday morning, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
Two laptops and three phones linked to Jabbar are currently being analyzed.
Authorities are also searching for clues at a house in Mandeville, Louisiana, just north of New Orleans.
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