New Orleans latest: Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s brother says sibling was radicalized as Biden sets date to visit Louisiana
FBI believes ‘ISIS-inspired’ New Orleans attacker acted alone and has ‘no definitive link’ to the Las Vegas Cybertruck blast driver Matthew Livelsberger
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Your support makes all the difference.The brother of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man behind the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, blamed radicalization for his sibling’s actions.
Abdur Rahim-Jabbar, 24, who along with his brother was raised Muslim, told Fox News that he did not previously spot any signs of someone who was hatching a deadly plot. He added that the attack was “no direct reflection on his brother and the Muslim community”.
The 42-year-old attacker – a U.S. citizen from Houston, Texas, and Army veteran – killed 14 people and injured 35 others after ramming a truck into a crowd of revellers on Bourbon Street before being shot dead by police on Wednesday morning.
During a news conference on Thursday, the FBI said that it was informed of several videos that Jabbar posted online proclaiming his support for ISIS. In one video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to hurt friends and family, but was concerned the media would not focus on the “war between believers and the disbelievers,” FBI agent Christopher Raia said.
It comes as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are expected to visit New Orleans on Monday, a White House official told CNN Friday.
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Neighbors describe New Orleans attacker as ‘very quiet person’
Neighbors of New Orleans truck attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar say they had little reason to believe he was an extremist.
“Calm, collected, don’t talk much, very quiet person, don’t interrupt, us we don’t interrupt him,” a neighbor in the Houston area told KHOU11 of Jabbar.
Authorities have painted a different picture of the man, who allegedly posted on social media about his allegiance to ISIS and intention to wage religious violence.
‘We can’t believe he’s alive'
A Pennsylvania man in a wheelchair hit in the New Orleans truck attack endured a harrowing night of medical treatment but appears to be improving, his family says.
Jeremi Sensky, 51, was ejected from his chair in the attack and left with bruises to the face and head, plus two broken legs.
After 10 hours of surgery, doctors were able to remove Sensky from a ventilator.
“We thought he was dead,” his daughter, Heaven Sensky-Kirsch, told The Asssociated Press. “We can’t believe he’s alive.”
‘New Orleans is very secure’: LA Attorney General
Louisiana officials are trying to reassure members of the public that New Orleans is safe and marquee events like the Sugar Bowl can go forward after Wednesday’s truck attack.
“The @SugarBowlNola needed to go forward,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill wrote on X. “This was always a game-time decision. I believe New Orleans is very secure. We can honor the lives that were lost by not bowing down to fear brought on by a cowardly terrorist attack.”
Too soon to rule out or confirm link between New Orleans and Vegas attacks
Las Vegas police said on Thursday they don’t have enough information to confirm or rule out a possible link between the explosion outside a Trump hotel in Vegas on Wednesday and the New Orleans truck attack that took place earlier that day.
The incidents have passing similarities—the people of interest in both incidents served in the U.S. military, including at the same base, and both used rented trucks—but officials haven’t found any definitive link to suggest a wider, coordinated plot.
For now, officials are urging people not to reach conclusions until more investigative work can be done.
“If these turned out to be simply similarities, very strange similarities to have,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said. “We’re not prepared to rule in or rule out anything at this point. There’s lots more for us to do in this investigation. We haven’t even gotten into the phones and the computers.”
Fans still flocking to Sugar Bowl, despite New Orleans attack
The New Orleans truck attack hasn’t stopped football fans from assembling at the Caesars Superdome for the college football Sugar Bowl.
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed to today.
Officials have installed heightened security measures around the stadium, including scores of police officers and bomb-sniffing dogs.
‘No record’ New Orleans attacker overlapped with Las Vegas person of interest in Afghanistan
Officials are investigating whether there’s any possible link between the New Orleans truck attack early on Wednesday and an explosion set off in a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas later that day.
So far, officials haven’t found any clear link between the two incidents, and Las Vegas officials added further reason for scrutiny on Thursday.
New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar and Vegas person of interest Matthew Alan Livelsberger both served in the U.S. military Afghanistan in 2009 and were stationed at one point at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), North Carolina.
However, there’s no evidence Jabbar and Livelsberger overlapped overseas or at the North Carolina base, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a Thursday press conference.
“It’s a very large military base,” McMahill said. “We have no record they served in the same unit, or even the same years at Fort Bragg.”
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