January 5th 2025.
According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil, the man responsible for the attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year's Day had visited the city twice prior to the incident. During his visits, he used Meta smart glasses to record and plan out his attack. Myrthil stated that the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had stayed at a rental home in New Orleans in October and November, where he filmed himself biking through the French Quarter. Investigators were still piecing together the details of his second trip.
Although Jabbar was wearing the smart glasses during the attack, he did not activate them that day. The glasses were found on his person after his death. These details were revealed during a press conference, where officials also released videos of Jabbar's actions leading up to the attack.
Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran who had declared his allegiance to ISIS, drove a rented truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street shortly after 3am on New Year's Day. He then opened fire, killing 14 people and injuring at least 35, according to the FBI. The truck eventually crashed into a cherry picker forklift, and Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.
The incident has raised concerns about the security measures in place on Bourbon Street and how a large truck was able to drive onto one of the busiest pedestrian roads in the US. All 14 victims have now been identified, with the last being Latasha Polk, a certified nursing assistant and mother of a 14-year-old. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry shared during the press conference that Polk's family wants the city to celebrate, but also mourn her passing without fear.
The FBI revealed that Jabbar had entered Louisiana on December 31 and unloaded his rented truck at an Airbnb around 10 pm. He then set fire to the rental home around 15 minutes after midnight and left in the truck. Special Agent Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stated that Jabbar had likely set the fire as a way to destroy evidence of his crimes. However, the fire was not successful in engulfing the home, and it was extinguished by the fire department around 5 am.
After leaving the rental home, Jabbar placed two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Bourbon Street. A transmitter to detonate the IEDs was found in his truck, along with bomb-making materials at the Airbnb and his home in Houston. One IED was placed in a rolling cooler and the other in a bucket cooler, both left on Bourbon Street. Myrthil explained that Jabbar left the rolling cooler at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter Street at 1:53 am, but someone not involved in the attack dragged it one block away to Bourbon and Orleans. The cooler was found at this new location after the attack. The second IED was placed at the intersection of Bourbon and Toulouse streets at 2:20 am.
Officials have confirmed that Jabbar acted alone in the attack. Two guns were recovered, a semi-automatic pistol and rifle. Jackson shared that Jabbar had purchased the rifle in a private sale in Texas and that these types of transactions are legal in the state.
The FBI is also investigating Jabbar's trips to Egypt and Canada, as well as his visits to Atlanta and Tampa. Myrthil stated that Jabbar had traveled to Cairo for a period of time in 2023 and visited Ontario in July of that same year. Agents are looking into his activities during those trips and if they have any connection to the attack.
In response to the incident, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has announced a plan to review the city's security plans. She intends to have a tactical expert assess whether the current bollards in place are sufficient and where they may need to be added or improved upon. The potential threat of a ramming attack has been a concern since the mass attack in Nice, France in 2016. A private security consulting firm had warned in a 2019 report that the risk of terrorism in the French Quarter, specifically mass shootings and vehicular attacks, was highly possible.
The city had previously installed wedge barricades on Bourbon Street, but they were not raised and in position on New Year's Eve. Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick stated that the department was not aware of other temporary barriers, known as Archer barriers, prior to the attack. On the night of the incident, a police vehicle was placed sideways to block off Bourbon Street, but Jabbar was able to drive onto the sidewalk and evade it. Kirkpatrick shared that they had a plan in place, but unfortunately, the attacker was able to defeat it.
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