New Orleans Terror Attack Suspect Acted Alone, Pledged Allegiance to ISIS: FBI

Authorities now believe the suspect acted alone in the deadly truck attack that left 15 people dead, including the assailant, on New Year’s Day in New Orleans.

Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of counterterrorism at the FBI, told reporters at a Thursday, Jan. 2, press conference that “we do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack” besides the main suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI had previously said that multiple individuals were believed to be involved in the attack.

Raia said Jabbar was seen on security cameras placing IEDs, located in coolers, at two locations in New Orleans’ French Quarter: one on Bourbon Street and Orleans Street and another two blocks away. People could later be seen checking out the coolers on video, and are being sought as potential witnesses.

The explosives appeared to be made at an Airbnb which caught fire on Wednesday morning, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News.

Joshua Jackson, special agent in charge of ATF New Orleans, said at Thursday’s press conference that the fire is believed to have started after Jabbar was already dead, though it’s possible explosions could have come from long cords or pressure cookers, he said. The house, on Mandeville Street, remains under seal by authorities.

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Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a New Year’s Day crowd on Bourbon Street, the French Quarter’s main tourist stretch. The suspect was later shot dead by police.

The FBI says Jabbar rented a Ford F-150 in Houston on Dec. 30 and drove to New Orleans on the 31st.

The flag of the Islamic State (ISIS) was discovered in the truckbed; Raia said Jabbar was “100% inspired” by ISIS and officials are probing potential connections to terrorist groups, though ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

While driving to New Orleans, Jabbar is said to have posted videos to his Facebook account where he pledges allegiance to ISIS, Raia noted. He said he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but worried the media would not focus on “the war between the believers and the disbelievers” in that case.

Police have recovered three phones and two laptops connected to Jabbar.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city plans to reopen Bourbon Street to pedestrians by 2:30 p.m. in time for kickoff in the Sugar Bowl at 3 p.m.

Raia al noted that as of now, there is “no definitive link” between the attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.