New Orleans assault newest: FBI, DHS warn of copycat automobile assault hazard

The FBI and Division of Homeland Safety on Thursday issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning the nation’s 18,000 law-enforcement companies about potential copycats searching for to emulate this week’s devastating ramming and taking pictures assault in New Orleans, ABC Information has discovered.

The bulletin was despatched out of an abundance of warning to sensitize legislation enforcement across the nation to be looking out for any exercise pointing to using automobiles as a way to inflict mass casualties, sources informed ABC Information.

The bulletin notes that ISIS — to which New Orleans suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar pledged allegiance earlier than the New Orleans assault, in keeping with FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia — has been selling using automobiles as a terrorism weapon since round 2014.

Sources informed ABC Information that ISIS has ramped up requires its supporters to launch low-tech, mass casualty ramming assaults in latest months, particularly since the newest Israel-Hamas battle started in October 2023.

The bulletin provided legislation enforcement companies recommendations on hazard indicators of upcoming assaults to look out for, together with using pre-operational surveillance and fraudulent identification paperwork or credit score to hire automobiles.

The bulletin said that Jabbar was impressed by ISIS however that there stays no proof of any co-conspirators. A senior law-enforcement official informed ABC Information that there’s to this point no signal of ISIS claiming duty for the New Orleans assault.

The continuing investigation into the New 12 months’s Day assault on Bourbon Road noticed bomb-making supplies recovered by FBI brokers and native legislation enforcement at a residence linked to the suspect in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, sources confirmed to ABC Information.

The gadgets discovered had been additionally known as “precursor chemical substances” by brokers within the subject, sources mentioned. They had been found through the execution of a search warrant at Jabbar’s final recognized residence within the small group of Greenspoint, in north Houston.

Authorities not imagine there are some other suspects concerned within the New 12 months’s truck assault that killed 14 individuals and injured 35 others, the FBI mentioned Thursday.

Sixteen individuals stay hospitalized at College Medical Heart New Orleans, together with eight in intensive care. The loss of life toll is just not anticipated to rise past 14 individuals, Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the College Medical Heart New Orleans informed ABC Information Dwell on Thursday.

After investigators reviewed all surveillance movies, it seems that Jabbar — a 42-year-old Military veteran and U.S.-born citizen from Texas, who additionally died within the assault — positioned explosive gadgets within the space himself after which modified garments, a number of legislation enforcement sources informed ABC Information.

The FBI remains to be investigating whether or not there have been people Jabbar spoke to or exchanged messages with previous to the early morning Wednesday assault, however nobody was within the neighborhood to assist him do something, the sources mentioned.

“Federal legislation enforcement and the intelligence group are actively investigating any international or home contacts in connection that might presumably be related to the assault,” President Joe Biden mentioned Thursday.

The FBI’s Raia referred to as the assault a premeditated “act of terrorism” however mentioned there was no extra menace to the general public.

The FBI launched new surveillance photographs of Jabbar in New Orleans just a little greater than an hour earlier than the assault befell, exhibiting the suspect strolling alongside Dauphine Road close to Governor Nicholls Road shortly after 2 a.m., carrying a light-weight brown lengthy coat, denims and brown costume footwear.

The FBI additionally launched a photograph of one of many coolers containing an explosive machine that authorities mentioned Jabbar positioned close to the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans Road.

Surveillance footage confirmed Jabbar putting two improvised explosive gadgets in coolers within the Bourbon Road space, Raia mentioned. He had a distant detonator within the truck to set off the 2 gadgets, Biden mentioned.

“These are the one two gadgets that we have been in a position to get well that had been purposeful — each gadgets had been rendered secure on scene,” he mentioned.

Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans on Tuesday night and posted a number of movies on-line “proclaiming his help for ISIS,” and mentioning he joined ISIS earlier than this summer season, Raia mentioned.

Jabbar was “hell-bent” on killing as many individuals as attainable, driving a pickup truck onto the sidewalk round a parked police automotive serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians, officers mentioned.

The suspect mowed down dozens of individuals over a three-block stretch on the world-famous thoroughfare whereas firing into the gang, police mentioned.

Jabbar then exited the broken automobile armed with an assault rifle and opened hearth on law enforcement officials, legislation enforcement mentioned. He was additionally armed with a handgun, sources informed ABC Information.

Officers returned hearth, killing Jabbar. At the very least two officers had been injured, one by gunfire and the opposite when the officer was pinned by the truck, authorities mentioned.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick mentioned safety bollards weren’t working on the time as a result of they had been within the technique of being changed for subsequent month’s Tremendous Bowl.

Legislation enforcement cleared and reopened Bourbon Road on Thursday because the investigation continued. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell mentioned authorities had the “confidence” to reopen the world to the general public forward of the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon, which was initially scheduled for Wednesday however postponed within the wake of the assault.

“I wish to reassure the general public that town of New Orleans is just not solely prepared for recreation day right this moment, however we’re able to proceed to host large-scale occasions in our metropolis,” she mentioned. “Our hearts and prayers proceed to exit to the victims’ households,” Cantrell added.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday in contrast the continuing investigation to a jigsaw puzzle.

Over 400 ideas have been submitted and investigators are combing by way of Jabbar’s laptops and telephones, Raia mentioned. Greater than 1,000 legislation enforcement officers have been “pouring over numerous quantities of information, of movies, of surveillances, interviews, monitoring down each attainable lead,” Landry mentioned.

Authorities have carried out search warrants in New Orleans and out of doors of Louisiana, the FBI’s New Orleans subject workplace mentioned.

There isn’t any obvious direct connection between the New Orleans assault and Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck explosion outdoors the Trump Worldwide Resort Las Vegas, which can also be being investigated as a attainable act of terror, Raia from the FBI mentioned Thursday.

Biden mentioned Thursday that investigators “haven’t discovered any proof of such a connection to this point — I’ve directed them to maintain wanting.”

The Las Vegas driver was killed and 7 bystanders suffered minor accidents, authorities mentioned. The motive behind the incident stays below investigation, however investigators informed ABC Information they imagine it was “intentional.”

The Cybertruck was rented by way of the Turo app, as was the truck used within the New Orleans assault, sources informed ABC Information.

The Cybertruck driver had an Military particular operations background however there isn’t any proof suggesting he and the New Orleans suspect knew one another, in keeping with officers.