New Orleans terrorist did not act alone! The connection between Tesla’s explosion and the attack

Authorities are investigating a possible connection between the attack suspect and the person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded in Las Vegas, sources told NBC News

Authorities are investigating a possible military connection between the New Orleans hit-and-run suspect and the person who died after a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, two law enforcement sources said. familiar with the cases told NBC News.

The possible link was just one of the topics raised by authorities on Thursday, who were also searching a location in Texas, a day after a man drove a pickup truck with an ISIS flag on busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans. , in the early hours of New Year’s Day, killing 15 people and injuring at least 30 others.

The FBI is investigating it as a terrorist act. Authorities are still investigating “persons of interest,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told NBC News’ “TODAY” program on Thursday.

Hours after the attack in New Orleans, the explosion in Las Vegas triggered an increase in security around Trump Towers in New York and Chicago. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to take office later this month.

President Joe Biden said this Wednesday (1st) that “law enforcement authorities and the intelligence community” were investigating “whether there is any possible connection” between the incidents.

New Orleans suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who died in a subsequent shootout with police, was a U.S. citizen, Texas resident and Army veteran. He worked in the Army’s human resources and information technology departments between 2006 and 2020, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009.

The suspect in the Trump Tower explosion in Las Vegas, who has not been publicly identified by law enforcement, also had prior military experience, two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said. They did not provide further details, emphasizing that the investigation was still ongoing.

Both vehicles were rented from the same company, Turo, and authorities are investigating whether there is a link on that front. Turo said it was “actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents.”

In New Orleans, it should have been a night of celebration on one of the country’s most famous party streets, a popular tourist area in the French Quarter filled with bars and restaurants. By 3:15 a.m., however, it had become a scene of horror, with witnesses and social media videos describing bloodied and mutilated bodies strewn across the road as the truck raced down the street before crashing.

“This man was trying to run over as many people as possible,” Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference. “He was determined to create the carnage and damage he did.”

As details about the victims continued to emerge and mourners flocked to the scene to lay flowers, questions arose about how the driver managed to get around barriers designed to keep pedestrians safe.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the poles were not erected because they were still under construction. She said the project was nearing completion, with completion expected before New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl in February.

Jabbar lived in Texas, and later on Wednesday the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it was conducting a court-authorized search of a location in Houston, an operation involving an FBI SWAT team, negotiators, bomb technicians and and a group of anti-terrorism investigators.

No arrests have been made, FBI Houston said in an update Wednesday night.

Murrill, the Louisiana attorney general, told NBC News that investigators suspected explosive devices associated with the New Orleans attack were made at an Airbnb in the city rented by those involved. A potential improvised explosive device was in the truck, and other potential IEDs were discovered in the French Quarter, the FBI said.

Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl college football game between Georgia and Notre Dame is set to take place on Thursday at the Superdome in New Orleans after being rescheduled for Wednesday night.

Or what do we know

• New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told the “TODAY” show that authorities are still investigating “persons of interest” in connection with yesterday’s attack in New Orleans, when a man drove a truck with an ISIS flag. against a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 15 people and injuring 30.
• The New Orleans driver was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas-born American citizen and Army veteran. A potential improvised explosive device was in the truck he was driving, and other potential IEDs were discovered in the French Quarter, the FBI said.
• Authorities are investigating a possible military link between the suspect and the person who died when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, two law enforcement sources told NBC News.
• Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News that authorities believe multiple people were involved and that investigators suspected explosive devices associated with the New Orleans attack were

With information from NBC*