FBI confirms attacker planted explosives in ice coolers; US vows relentless pursuit of ISIS.
Washington DC [US], January 3: US President Joe Biden revealed on Thursday that the New Orleans attacker, identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, had planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in ice coolers across the French Quarter before driving his vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
According to CNN, the FBI successfully recovered the two IEDs planted by Jabbar, confirming that he had a remote detonator in his vehicle intended to trigger the explosives.
“They’ve established that the attacker is the same person who planted the explosives in those ice coolers in two nearby locations in the French Quarter just a few hours before he rammed into the crowd with his vehicle. They assessed he had a remote detonator in his vehicle to set off those two ice chests,” Biden said during a press briefing.
FBI Confirms ISIS Link
The FBI investigation confirmed that Jabbar was a supporter of ISIS. An ISIS flag was recovered from his vehicle, and the attacker had previously posted videos online pledging allegiance to the terrorist organization.
President Biden assured that the US will relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organizations.
“We are going to relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organizations wherever they are, and they will find no safe haven here,” Biden stated firmly.
No Link Found with Las Vegas Explosion Yet
Addressing concerns over a potential connection between the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, Biden clarified that investigations are ongoing but have not established any link so far.
“The investigation is still ongoing, but as of now, no evidence suggests a connection between the two incidents,” he said.
Incident Overview
The New Orleans attack resulted in 15 fatalities, including the attacker, and left dozens injured. Hours later, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring seven others. Authorities noted that both vehicles used in these attacks were rented via Turo, raising initial concerns about a possible link.
The FBI, Homeland Security, and local law enforcement agencies continue their investigations into both incidents.
