Driver in New Orleans ‘act of terrorism’ not ‘solely responsible’: FBI

NEW ORLEANS: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Wednesday (local time) stated that it does not believe Shamsud Din Jabbar, the car driver who carried out the New Orleans attack, was “solely responsible” for the ‘act of terrorism’.

Jabbar rammed his car into a crowd on Bourbon Street during New Year’s celebrations, killing 15 people and injuring 35 others. The suspect was found with an ISIS flag and multiple suspected explosive devices in the car while carrying out the attack, which the FBI has classified as “an act of terrorism”.

Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said the investigation is “aggressively running down every lead, including those concerning Jabbar’s known associates”. “That’s why we need the public’s help. We’re asking if anybody has any interactions with Shamsud Din Jabbar in the last 72 hours that you contact us”, she said during a news conference.

“The FBI is asking for the public’s help. We’re asking anyone who has information, video or pictures to provide it to the FBI,” she added. Duncan also mentioned that an ISIS flag was found on the trailer hitch of the vehicle used by Jabbar. “The FBI is working to determine Jabbar’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations”, she said.

FBI literally photographed the ISIS flag from the truck of the New Orleans terrorist, and still tried to tell us this wasn’t a terrorist attack… pic.twitter.com/BCiZcvXntc

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) January 1, 2025

The FBI has identified Shamsud Din Jabbar as a US citizen from Texas, and officials confirmed he had previously served in the US Military, according to a CNN report.

In a statement on X, the FBI wrote, “This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism”.

FBI Update on Bourbon Street Terrorist Attack: https://t.co/us0XzffGJr

Anyone with information, photos, or video should call the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI or visit https://t.co/i121Noqgnt pic.twitter.com/VCmT8r2P4c

— FBI (@FBI) January 2, 2025

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, saying, “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities”. Earlier, President-elect Donald Trump reignited the debate over immigration and crime following the car-ramming incident, blaming Democrats for dismissing his warnings about criminal migration into the US.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true. The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!” (ANI)