New Orleans (Thedailymiaminews)— According to an FBI official on Sunday, the man who carried out the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that claimed 14 lives had been there twice previously and had used Meta smart glasses to shoot footage of the French Quarter.
At a press briefing, Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia stated that Shamsud-Din Jabbar also visited Cairo and Canada before to the attack, however it was unclear at the time if those visits had anything to do with the incident. According to federal investigators, Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former soldier in the U.S. Army, was motivated to carry out the attack by the Islamic State militant group.
Jabbar, 42, was shot and killed by police after a gunfight at the scene of the rental pickup vehicle wreck on Bourbon Street, which is well-known throughout the world for its lively atmosphere in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.
Although they are still looking into Jabbar’s contacts, federal officials currently think he acted alone.
Raia stated, “Every investigative detail and piece of evidence we currently have supports that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans.” “We are still investigating possible associates both inside and outside of our borders, but we have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States.”
In the summer of 2023, Jabbar visited Cairo and then, a few days later, the Canadian province of Ontario, according to FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Office Lyonel Myrthil.
“Where he went, who he met with, and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions here are all being answered by our agents,” Myrthil stated.
Suspect recorded video with smart glasses while plotting attack, the FBI says
The FBI claims that Jabbar had visited New Orleans twice in the months before the attack, once in October and once in November, and that the suspect used smart glasses to record footage while planning the attack. On October 31, Myrthil said that Jabbar “planned this heinous attack” while riding a bicycle through the French Quarter while using glasses made by Meta, the parent company of Facebook. He claimed that on November 10, Jabbar was also in New Orleans.
According to Myrthil, Jabbar did not activate the livestreaming glasses he was wearing throughout the attack.
A representative for Meta told The Associated Press that they would not comment on the glasses.
Jabbar’s video from the planned trip to New Orleans and the footage of him setting up two containers with explosives in the French Quarter at around 2 a.m., just before the attack, were made public by the FBI. According to officials, a somebody not connected to the attack moved one of the containers—a cooler—a block away.
In a legitimate transaction in Arlington, Texas, on November 19, Jabbar bought a semiautomatic rifle privately from a person, according to Joshua Jackson, the special agent in charge of New Orleans.
“This was a fortuitous meeting,” Jackson stated. “This person had no way of knowing that Jabbar was radicalized or that this attack was going to happen.”
Prior to other significant events, security is the top priority.
Since then, police have blocked traffic at Bourbon and Canal streets with cars and barriers. According to New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper, additional security was provided by municipal officers with assistance from other law enforcement organizations.
On Monday night, there will be the first procession of the Carnival season, which culminates in Mardi Gras in March. On February 9, New Orleans will host the Super Bowl as well.
The city previously erected bollards, or steel columns, to limit automobile access to Bourbon Street in an attempt to safeguard the French Quarter. Normally, the poles retract to provide room for deliveries to eateries and bars. However, after getting clogged by alcohol, Mardi Gras beads, and other debris, they ceased to function consistently.
The bollards had vanished by New Year’s Eve. LaToya Cantrell, the mayor of New Orleans, said the city is still unsure if the new bollards it is putting in the French Quarter would be sufficient to prevent a similar car attack.
“Whether they are strong enough will be determined by the comprehensive evaluation I am requesting,” Cantrell stated. “I can’t say for sure that’s the case, but an expert can, and we’ll react appropriately.” According to Cantrell, in order to obtain additional government funding for security and risk assessments, she asked Homeland Security to elevate Mardi Gras to the highest Special Event Assessment Rating.
In order to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack,” President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were scheduled to visit New Orleans on Monday.
Journalists questioned Biden on Sunday after he signed the Social Security Fairness Act about his message to the families he would be meeting with. I’ve been there,” he replied. If I get to see them alone, my message will be personal because there isn’t really anything you can say to someone who has recently had such a terrible loss.
Federal officials retrieved the two explosive devices that Jabbar had placed, unexploded. Joshua Jackson, ATF Special Agent in Charge, praised New Orleans police for their prompt action in preventing the devices from being activated. He claimed that both had receivers and that a transmitter had been found in Jabbar’s truck.
Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, Jabbar stepped out of the wrecked truck and began shooting at the cops, wounding at least two of them before he was shot and killed.
Materials for building bombs were discovered at Jabbar’s house. According to Jackson, Jabbar seemed to have utilized RDX, a chemical substance that is widely accessible in the United States. According to him, RDX was discovered during field testing at Jabbar’s house in Houston, and additional testing is being done on comparable compounds discovered at the rented house in New Orleans.
Jabbar started a minor fire in a hallway in an attempt to burn down the rental house, but it was extinguished before firefighters could reach the scene.
The suspect declares support for the Islamic State organization.
In films that were uploaded online just hours before he struck, Jabbar declared his sympathy for the Islamic State extremist group. It exposed what federal officials have said is a growing worldwide terrorism danger, as it was the most deadly IS-inspired attack on American soil in years.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, stated on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that the nation has experienced “a significant increase in what we term homegrown violent extremism” in recent years in addition to “the persistent threat of foreign terrorism.”
Security worries have been raised by the attack in other parts of the country. For example, military officials in California said on the online platform X that Camp Pendleton, the largest Marine installation on the West Coast with tens of thousands of active-duty service members, now has more restricted access. According to the notice, a “trusted travel program” is being discontinued, all IDs are being examined for base access, and sporadic inspections will be conducted.