During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen living in Texas, perpetrated a deadly attack by rushing with his vehicle in a crowd celebrating the New Year in New Orleans. An explosion in Las Vegas is also examined for a potential link. Investigation in progress.
The attack, which occurred around 3:15 am in the French district, left at least 15 dead and thirty injured. The suspect, equipped with a Daesh flag and craft explosives, was shot down after an exchange of fire with the police.
The drama took place in the famous Bourbon Street, where the crowd was particularly dense because of the new year celebrations and supporters who came to attend the Sugar Bowl, an American football meeting scheduled for the next day.
Aboard an electric Ford F-150 pick-up, Jabbar bypassed a police car before hitting dozens of people, sowing panic. After the impact, he opened fire on the police, injuring two police officers, before being neutralized.
Explosives found in other places
Police quickly identified the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former 42-year-old soldier from Houston. According to the authorities, he published an online video claiming the attack on behalf of the Islamic State.
In his vehicle, investigators discovered weapons, craft bombs, as well as a Daesh flag. In addition, explosives have been found in other places in the French district, suggesting a possible coordination with accomplices.
“This man was determined to cause maximum damage,” said Anne Kirkpatrick, New Orleans police chief. The FBI, which conducts the survey, confirmed actively looking for other potential suspects, after the analysis of videos showing several individuals manipulating explosives in the area.
A Tesla cybertruck explodes in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas
President Joe Biden called for caution, recalling that it is essential not to draw hasty conclusions. For his part, Donald Trump used the attack to denounce the migration policy of the Democrats on his Truth Social network.
In parallel, the investigators examine another case: the explosion of a Cybertruck Tesla in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, which caused the death of a person and injured seven others. If a link between the two events has not yet been established, the authorities remain vigilant in the face of any additional threats.
The explosion of a Cybertruck Tesla in front of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, however arouses many questions. The FBI seeks to determine whether this incident could be linked to the deadly attack that hit New Orleans a few hours earlier.
The images circulating on social networks show the gray cybertruck parked in front of the entrance to the emblematic hotel before exploding in an impressive cloud of smoke. The hotel had to be evacuated as a precaution.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, quickly clarified that the explosion was not due to a technical failure of the vehicle. According to him, it was caused by “large fireworks and/or a bomb transported to the rear of the rented vehicle”. The authorities confirmed that the back of the pick-up contained fuel cans and fireworks mortars, which would have limited the extent of the damage thanks to the reinforced structure of the cybertruck.
Gray areas
However, a disturbing point remains to be clarified: the two vehicles involved in these separate incidents had been rented via the Turo carpooling application, a coincidence that investigators continue to examine.
Jeremy Schwartz, FBI agent, has confirmed that the investigations are continuing to rule out or establish any potential link between the two tragedies, while favoring the hypothesis of distinct acts for the moment.
