NEW ORLEANS — The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that killed 14 people has already visited the city twice and recorded video of the French Quarter with Meta smart glasses, an FBI official said Sunday.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar also traveled to Cairo and Canada before the attack, although it is not yet clear whether those trips were linked to the attack, Deputy Director Christopher Raia said during a press conference. Federal officials believe Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former U.S. Army soldier, was inspired by the Islamic State militant group to carry out the attack.
Police fatally shot Jabbar, 42, during an exchange of gunfire at the scene of the deadly rental van crash on Bourbon Street, famous around the world for its party atmosphere in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Federal investigators so far believe Jabbar acted alone, but they continue to explore his contacts.
“All the details of the investigation and the evidence we have still supports that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans,” Raia said. “We have not seen any indication of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking for potential associates in the United States and outside our borders.”
Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, said Jabbar traveled to Cairo in the summer of 2023 and then to the Canadian province of Ontario a few days later.
“Our agents are getting answers about where he went, who he met and how those trips may or may not be related to his actions here,” Myrthil said.
Jabbar had also visited New Orleans twice in the months before the attack, first in October and again in November. On October 31, Myrthil said Jabbar used glasses from Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to record video as he rode his bike through the French Quarter as he “prepared this horrible attack.” He added that Jabbar was also in New Orleans on November 10.
He also wore glasses capable of live streaming during the attack, but Myrthil said Jabbar did not activate them.
Asked about the glasses, a Meta spokesperson declined to comment to The Associated Press.
The FBI released the video Jabbar recorded during his planning trip to New Orleans, as well as a video showing him placing two containers containing explosive devices in the French Quarter around 2 a.m., shortly before the attack . One of the containers, a cooler, was moved a block away by someone not involved in the attack, officials said.
Joshua Jackson, special agent in charge of New Orleans, said Jabbar privately purchased a semi-automatic rifle on Nov. 19 from an individual in a legal transaction in Arlington, Texas.
“It was a chance meeting,” Jackson said. “There is no way this individual knew that Jabbar was radicalized or was aware that this attack was imminent.”
Since then, police have used vehicles and barricades to block traffic on Bourbon and Canal streets. Other law enforcement agencies helped city officers provide additional security, said Reese Harper, a New Orleans police spokeswoman.
The first parade of the carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras in March is scheduled for Monday evening. New Orleans will also host the Super Bowl on February 9.
As part of a previous effort to protect the French Quarter, the city installed steel columns called bollards to restrict vehicle access to Bourbon Street. The poles normally retract to allow deliveries to bars and restaurants. But they stopped working reliably after being gummed up by Mardi Gras beads, beer and other detritus.
When New Year’s Eve arrived, the terminals were gone. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell acknowledged that the city still doesn’t know whether new bollards installed in the French Quarter would be able to stop a similar vehicle attack.
“The in-depth evaluation I’m requesting will determine whether they are strong enough,” Cantrell said. “I can’t say for sure that this is the case, but an expert will be able to do so and we will respond accordingly.” Cantrell said she requested that Homeland Security upgrade Mardi Gras to the highest special event rating level in order to receive more federal support for security and risk assessment.
President Joe Biden planned to travel to New Orleans on Monday with first lady Jill Biden to “mourn the families and community members affected by this tragic attack.”
After signing the Social Security Fairness Act, reporters on Sunday asked Biden what his message would be to the families he would meet with. He replied: “I went there. There is nothing you can really say to someone who has just experienced such a tragic loss, my message will be personal if I can get it alone.
The two explosive devices planted by Jabbar were recovered by federal officials without detonating. ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson thanked New Orleans police for responding quickly before the devices could be triggered. He said both were equipped with receivers and a transmitter was found in Jabbar’s truck.
Jabbar emerged from the wrecked truck wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet and fired at police, injuring at least two officers before being shot.
Materials for making bombs were found at Jabbar’s home. Jackson said Jabbar appeared to have used a chemical compound known as RDX, which he said is commonly available in the United States. He said field tests found RDX at Jabbar’s Houston home and they were conducting further tests on similar materials found at the New Orleans rental home.
Jabbar attempted to set the rental house on fire by lighting a small fire in a hallway, but the flames were extinguished before firefighters arrived.
Jabbar proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group in online videos posted hours before his attack. It was the deadliest ISIS-inspired attack on U.S. soil in years, laying bare what federal officials have called a resurgent international terrorism threat.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that the country faces “not only the continuing threat of foreign terrorism” but also “a significant increase in what we call local violent extremism” in recent years.
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