Staff Reports
In the aftermath of a horrific terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, the FBI has declared that the man behind the mayhem, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, acted alone, despite early speculation suggesting he might have had accomplices. Jabbar, a Texas-born U.S. citizen, was not just the driver of a pickup truck that barreled through revelers on Bourbon Street during the early hours of the celebration. He was also packing an ISIS flag, a detail that really drives home the point: this was no ordinary New Year’s gathering gone awry.
Authorities confirmed that during the chaos, police shot and killed Jabbar in a confrontation shortly after his appalling actions. He left a shocking toll in his wake: 15 lives lost, including his own, and dozens more injured. Such is the grim reality when you mix a man with a pickup truck, a head full of radical ideas, and an upsetting lack of moral compass.
At a press conference, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia scrubbed the earlier rumors of associates involved in Jabbar’s actions. Surveillance footage showed Jabbar setting up improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in coolers around the area leading up to the attack. It turns out many were not accomplices at all, but merely onlookers intrigued by the coolers. Perhaps those individuals should have been more perceptive to Jabbar’s intentions, but it’s doubtful they anticipated a terrorist deed on what’s typically a festive occasion.
FBI Does Another 180, Claims New Orleans Attacker Worked Alone Day After Conducting Manhunt For Accomplices https://t.co/6oWcwbJRxf via @dailycaller
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Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana put the FBI’s evolving narrative into context, asserting that information can be a slippery slope when it comes to rapidly unfolding events. While the FBI is putting out fires regarding misinformation, it’s noteworthy that they were quick to label the attack as premeditated terrorism. It raises the question: why the hesitation earlier to classify it as such? The confusion surrounding the events reflects either a level of responsiveness or, quite frankly, a troubling ambiguity in the face of real threats.
In perhaps the most glaring revelation, Raia indicated that Jabbar had been “100% inspired by ISIS.” While this is certainly chilling, it’s a reflection that lone-wolf attacks continue to pose a significant risk, and this individual’s motivations were rooted in a warped ideology. The FBI is asking for information from anyone familiar with Jabbar, hoping to connect the dots to prevent a future smash of history from repeating itself. One wonders, as calls for information ring out, if American citizens are as the FBI hopes, willing to confront what has, regrettably, become an all-too-familiar battleground on the streets of their own cities.
