FBI says driver in New Orleans rampage acted alone and was '100%' inspired by Islamic State group

[sunshine1104]

The Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans acted alone, the FBI confirmed Thursday, reversing its earlier position that suggested he may have had accomplices in the deadly attack. The FBI revealed that the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen from Texas, posted five videos on his Facebook account hours before the attack, proclaiming his support for the Islamic State group and previewing the violence he was about to unleash in the French Quarter.

"This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act," said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, calling Jabbar "100% inspired" by the Islamic State. The attack along Bourbon Street killed 14 revelers and Jabbar, 42, who was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his speeding truck around a barricade and plowing into the crowd. About 30 people were injured.

This was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years, highlighting the resurgent international terrorism threat federal officials have been warning about. It occurred as the FBI and other agencies prepared for potential leadership changes and policy shifts following President-elect Donald Trump's administration.

Raia emphasized that there was no connection between the New Orleans attack and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on Wednesday. The person inside the truck, a decorated U.S. Army Green Beret, shot himself in the head just before detonation.

The FBI continued to investigate Jabbar’s actions but confirmed that he acted alone in the attack. The attack plans also included the placement of crude bombs in the neighborhood in an apparent attempt to cause further destruction. Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were discovered in coolers several blocks apart and were safely rendered non-functional at the scene. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage of people near one of the coolers but concluded they were not connected to the attack, though they were seeking to speak with them as potential witnesses.

Authorities are also working to understand more about Jabbar's path to radicalization. Investigators say he rented the truck in Houston on Dec. 30 and drove it to New Orleans the following night.

As New Orleans recovered from the attack, the city began returning to normal. Authorities finished processing the scene early in the morning, and Bourbon Street reopened by early afternoon. The Sugar Bowl college football playoff game between Notre Dame and Georgia, initially postponed due to national security concerns, was played Thursday evening. Mayor LaToya Cantrell expressed confidence in the city's readiness to continue hosting large-scale events, including the upcoming Super Bowl.