It appears that suspicions confirming the Bourbon Street attacker not acting alone have been validated following a leak of an intelligence bulletin to the Associated Press.
Reports from RedState revealed that Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve celebrants in New Orleans, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 individuals and causing numerous injuries. The perpetrator was found to have an ISIS flag in the truck.
Despite law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, initially suggesting at a subsequent press briefing on Wednesday that Jabbar likely had accomplices, no specific information was provided. However, shortly after, a leaked intelligence bulletin surfaced, offering more tangible evidence.
Intel Bulletin on terror attack: “Pipe bombs were also found in the vehicle… The devices…were wired for remote detonation…and a corresponding remote control was discovered inside the vehicle. … Surveillance footage captured three men & a woman placing one of multiple IEDs.” pic.twitter.com/TUpD9U78xU
— Jerry Dunleavy IV
(@JerryDunleavy) January 1, 2025
The FBI said other potential explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter. And according to the intelligence bulletin, surveillance footage showed three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.
While the truck itself contained IEDs, it had also been reported that others were spread around the French Quarter. That includes at least two devices found near the Cathedral located in Jackson Square.
At 6 am in New Orleans officers found an explosive device near the Cathedral in the French Quarter. They discovered two devices and safety detonated both. Thank God. pic.twitter.com/aG7HTCmNgD
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) January 1, 2025
This seems to answer any doubt about whether Jabbar planned and executed this on his own. He had help, and it appears an extensive terrorist cell was involved. Who the three men and a woman were isn’t publicly known yet, but I’d suspect the FBI already has some idea.
The next question is going to be whether there was foreign involvement, and the answer to that is almost certainly yes. It may not manifest with ISIS having written a command letter, but many mosques throughout the United States feature foreign-connected radicals who seek to spread their death and destruction by radicalizing others.
Whatever the details of this attack turn out to be, it’s serious. This can’t be brushed under the rug as “workplace violence” as the terrorist attack on Fort Hood was. The cat is out of the bag, and the FBI and the Biden administration need to be completely transparent with the public. Anything less than that is simply unacceptable.
This is a developing story.
