Allies of President-elect Donald Trump are investigating a brutal car attack in New Orleans before the country’s top federal law enforcement agency backs down and launches a terrorism investigation linked to ISIS. He blames the FBI for initially determining that the attack was not terrorism-related.
A source close to President Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning: “The FBI has a foolproof mission. There is no margin for error. If we fail, Americans die. We need to get it as soon as possible.”
Chaos erupted on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning as New Year’s Eve revelers partied in the street. The suspect, later identified as Shamsuddin Jabbar, is accused of driving a truck into a crowd on the beloved and famous party street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Jabbar was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle and died after firing at police.
On Wednesday morning, as details were released to the public, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference, and special agents initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism.
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From left to right: Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Kash Patel, and President-elect Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
“We will be taking over the lead of this case. This is not a terrorist incident,” Alecia Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said at a news conference.
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The mayor of New Orleans also contradicted Duncan at the same press conference, saying the attack was terrorism-related.
“Please know that the city of New Orleans has been affected by a terrorist attack, all of which are still under investigation,” Democratic Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has served as the city’s mayor since 2018, told reporters. We will receive information,” he said.
The FBI issued a statement late Wednesday outlining that the attack was being investigated as an act of terrorism, including reports that an ISIS flag was found on a truck that drove into the crowd.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick released a statement after a vehicle plowed into a crowd at Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
One FBI statement said, “An ISIS flag was detected inside the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine any potential links or connections between the subjects and terrorist organizations.”
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“The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are actively pursuing all leads to identify anyone who may be associated with the subject.” “We are searching for him,” the statement added.
Conservative MPs condemned the attack and paid tribute to the victims, but also directed their anger at the FBI for its alleged failure to respond to the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally of President Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, criticized the FBI in a series of messages posted on regained support for.
On January 1, 2025, law enforcement officers from multiple agencies were on the scene on Bourbon Street after a man allegedly drove his car into a crowd of people early on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people. are. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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“The tragic terrorist attack that claimed the lives of innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America is proud of the fearless people like @Kash_Patel at the FBI,” Blackburn said Wednesday. We need warriors we don’t have.”
Mr. Blackburn also took issue with the FBI for allegedly reporting it after the media staked out the suspect’s home in Texas.
“The FBI did not show up at the NOLA suspect’s address until 1 p.m. today. We were on the scene before then. No one came out of the house or answered the door,” the New York Post said. Reporter Jenny Tarr posted to X on Wednesday.
Blackburn told a Post reporter that the FBI had “failed” in its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
“The fact that reporters have better information than the FBI tells us everything we need to know. The FBI has failed in its core mission,” Blackburn posted.
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When asked to comment on the criticism, the FBI directed FOX Digital to provide three previous statements describing the attack as an act of terrorism, but on Wednesday New Orleans investigators said the attack was not terrorism. He did not comment on what he said were not related.
“This morning, an individual drove his car into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing numerous people and injuring dozens more. The subject has since worked with local law enforcement and is now deceased. “The FBI has alerted law enforcement agencies and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of three statements provided to FOX Digital. I mentioned it in
Photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar released by the FBI. (FBI)
Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He is a military veteran who served as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 to January 2015 and was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
President Trump condemned President Biden and his administration’s aggressive policy.
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“With Biden’s ‘open borders policy,’ I have said many times during rallies and elsewhere, radical Islamic terrorism and other forms of violent crime will be much worse in America than anyone could imagine or believe. The time has come, Joe Biden is the worst president in American history, a complete and utter disaster,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
New Orleans police and federal agents are investigating a suspected terrorist attack that occurred on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025, on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. (Chris Granger/New Orleans Legal Advocacy Bureau, via AP)
Biden on Wednesday mourned the attack and stressed that despite the violence, “our New Orleans will never, never, ever lose.”
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“New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world,” the president said. “New Orleans is a city full of charm and joy. Many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, culture, and most importantly, its people.”
“So while this man has perpetrated a terrible attack on our city, I know that our New Orleans spirit will never, ever, ever be defeated,” he added.
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