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FBI: The author of the terrorist attack in New Orleans acted alone

2025-01-03 07:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The FBI says it believes the New Orleans terrorist attack that killed 15 people on New Year's Day acted alone.

The authorities declared this in a press conference, adding that there is no longer any danger for the residents of New Orleans. Authorities were previously investigating whether the gunman, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas and former Army reservist who served in Afghanistan, had accomplices in the attack, which authorities said was premeditated.

The FBI said the alleged perpetrator drove from Houston to New Orleans on Dec. 31 and posted five videos on Facebook between 1:29 a.m. and 3:02 a.m. the day of the attack in which he expressed support for ISIS, the Islamic militant group. with fighters in Iraq and Syria.

In the first video, Jabbar explains that he had previously planned to attack his family and friends, but that he was concerned that media coverage would distract from the "war between believers and non-believers," the deputy director of FBI, Christopher Raia.

Jabbar also said in the video that he had joined ISIS before last summer.

"This was an act of terrorism," Mr Raia said. "It was a premeditated act and a diabolical act."

The FBI had previously confirmed that Jabbar had an ISIS flag on the truck he used to drive into the crowd. He died in an exchange of fire with the police.

On Wednesday evening, President Joe Biden offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said the suspect had taken actions just hours before the attack that hinted at his ideology. President Biden said law enforcement and the intelligence community are continuing to look for any other connections or associates and that the investigation remains active.

"He posted videos on social media showing that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill. The ISIS flag was found on his vehicle, which he had rented to carry out this attack. Potential explosives were also found in the vehicle and other explosives were found nearby," he said.

Investigators found weapons and an improvised explosive device inside the vehicle. Also, in the well-known neighborhood where the explosion took place, the authorities have found other explosive devices in a house that had caught fire.

For 18-year-old Zion Parsons, it was his first time in New Orleans. He said the scene looked like a war zone.

"There were bodies all over the road. Everyone was screaming. You saw someone trying to save someone else, you saw people crying, body parts everywhere. It was painful to see one of my close friends get hit," he said.

The tourist area of ??New Orleans continues to be under strict security measures.

The attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon of mass murder and the deadliest ISIS-inspired attack on US soil in years.

Clara Broekart, an expert on terrorist groups told VOA that in 2024 there had been a significant increase in ISIS-inspired efforts globally, including in the United States.

"Sometimes the potential perpetrator was simply inspired by ISIS, consumed propaganda from the Islamic State and intended to carry out an attack in support of the Islamic State. But we have also seen attempts where US-based individuals were in contact with ISIS recruiters online," she says.

The FBI also says there was no connection between the attack in New Orleans and an explosion in Las Vegas outside the Trump hotel, where the person inside the car died./VOA