Sibling of New Orleans terror attack suspect unravels descent into radicalization

A New Orleans law firm representing one of the survivors of the New Year's Day terror attack said it is filing a lawsuit against the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department for failing to implement "basic safety precautions" ahead of the attack.

Maples & Connick, LLC, said the city's "negligence paved the way for the tragic events that unfolded" early Wednesday, which it said "was both foreseeable and preventable." The firm said it will be filing the lawsuit on the morning of Jan. 8.

The lawsuit could be the first of many filed by survivors and victims' families.

"Because of the negligence of the NOPD and the City of New Orleans, 14 innocent lives were lost. Dozens more were injured, and the courses of their lives forever changed," Maples & Connick, LLC, said.

"The survivors of this tragic event will bear the emotional and physical scars for the rest of their lives. We are honored to represent one of these individuals and are committed to utilizing every legal avenue available to uncover the truth and secure full compensation for our client. The affected individuals and the citizens of New Orleans deserve answers," the firm continued.

Fox News' Garrett Tenney contributed to this report.

An Amazon logo is displayed outside the Amazon's Robotic Fulfillment Centre on December 19, 2023 in Sutton Coldfield, England. Launched in October, the 24/7 fulfillment center, equipped with cutting-edge robotics for sorting, packing, and shipping millions of items, has already employed 1,400 staff, as well as additional hires for the Christmas period. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Amazon says it has offered its "full support" to an employee who was injured in the New Orleans terrorist attack, after the victim told the press she had been denied time off to recover and feared she would need to find a new job.

The company and founder Jeff Bezos were hit with harsh criticism on social media Friday morning, over a report from NOLA.com about Amazon worker Alexis Scott-Windham, who survived after being hit by the truck driven through a crowd on Bourbon Street and was also shot in the attack that occurred in the early hours of New Year's Day.

The outlet reported that Scott-Windham, a mom from Mobile, Alabama, still has a bullet lodged in her foot.

"She'll need to return to an orthopedist in two weeks to check on her foot," NOLA.com reported. "But the Amazon warehouse where she works denied her request for a leave of absence, and she worries she'll have to find a new job once she's recovered."

This is an excerpt from an article by Breck Dumas.

Members of law enforcement return to Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s home in Houston, Texas on Friday, January 3, 2025. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after Jabbar rammed his car into crowds of New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

The FBI returned to the Houston home of Shamsud-Din Jabbar on Friday, where they found bomb-making materials, authorities said.

Agents initially cleared the property and left it unattended overnight before returning. Jabbar had been living in the mobile home prior to the incident, Fox 8 reported.

On Friday, authorities blocked off a road near the neighborhood and the gate into Jabbar’s home was closed off. One vehicle was towed from the property, the report said.

“He just moved here I think a year ago,” a local resident named Omar told Fox News Digital. "He is rude, mean. Never talked to no one. That's what I know."

On Friday, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirmed the discovery of “precursory chemicals” at Jabbar’s residence.

A memorial for those killed in the New Year’s Eve attack is left on Bourbon Street following the street’s reopening in New Orleans, Louisiana on Friday, January 3, 2025. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after a man rammed his car into crowds of New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

All 14 victims killed during Wednesday's truck terror attack in New Orleans died of blunt force injuries on Bourbon Street, officials said Friday.

The victims were identified by the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office as: Andrew Dauphin, 26, of Montgomery, Alabama; Kareem Badawi, 23, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Brandon Taylor, 43, Harvey, Louisiana; Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, Gretna, Louisiana; Matthew Tenedorio, 25, Picayune, Mississippi; Nikyra Dedeaux, 18, Gulfport, Mississippi; Nicole Perez, 27, Metairie, Louisiana; Reggie Hunter, 37, Prairieville, Louisiana; Martin Bech, 27, New York; Terrence Kennedy, 63, New Orleans; Elliot Wilkinson, 40, Slidell, Louisiana; William Dimaio, 25, Holmdel, New Jersey.

A British citizen was also named as a victim by the coroner's office, but his full identification is being withheld per the family's request.

The final victim's identity remains unknown. Efforts to identify her are ongoing, the corner's office said. Shamsud Jabbar, 42, the Army veteran identified by authorities as the attacker, died from a gunshot wound. H was killed by police gunfire. 

nvestigators search the rental home used by Shamsud-Din Jabbar in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, January 2, 2024. Multiple people are dead and dozens are injured after Jabbar rammed his car into crowds of New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street on Wednesday. Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital

The terror attacker who killed 14 people in New Orleans also set fire to his rental property after the crime in an effort to conceal evidence, authorities said Friday.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was staying at an Airbnb on Mandeville Street where bomb-making materials were found, the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Expolosives (ATF) said in a joint statement. Similar materials were also found in Jabbar's home in Houston, authorities said.

New Orleans firefighters responded to the rental property at around 5:20 a.m. on New Year's Day, after the deadly attack on Bourbon Street. The ATF determined that Jabbar “was the only person who could have had access to the residence when the fire was set.”

“ATF also determined that Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway, and strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime," the statement said. "After Jabbar left the residence, the fire burned to a point that it extinguished itself, prior to spreading to other rooms.”

He “strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime. After Jabbar left the residence, the fire burned to a point that it extinguished itself, prior to spreading to other rooms,” the FBI and ATF said.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire was smoldering, which allowed for the recovery of evidence, authorities said, including bomb-making pre-cursors, as well as a device suspected of being made into a silencer.

Jabbar intended to use a transmitter that was found that was found in the F150 truck he used to plow into holiday revelers to detonate the two improvised-explosive devices he placed on Bourbon Street, authorities said.

Clothing and shell cases were also found, as well as terabytes worth of video and other data collected by city street cameras, law enforcement said. The evidence will be taken to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. for evaluation.

A Texas artist traveled to New Orleans to start on a makeshift memorial for the 14 people killed during a New Year's Day terror attack.

Roberto Marquez, a muralist and Dallas resident who creates art after mass shootings and other tragedies, was seen Friday in the French Quarter painting on the street. 

Marquez was spotted working on a large canvas as onlookers stood several feet behind him. 

Earlier this year, he traveled to Baltimore to contribute to a memorial for the six victims of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. 

Fox News Digital's Audrey Conklin contributed to this post.

An image of Matthew Livelsberger provided b y the Las Vegas. (LVMPD)

The terror New Year's Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people and the explosion of Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas are not connected, authorities said Friday.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas and Army veteran, plowed a truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans' French Quarter. On the same day, Matthew Livelsberger, a member of the U.S. Army's special forces, detonated an explosive device that destroyed the Tesla vehicle outside Trump International Las Vegas Hotel.

Livelsberger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. Because of the timing of both events and the military connections shared by both men, questions arose if both attacks were jointly planned.

“The simple answer to that is we don't find anything to actually point us in that direction,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters. “There are those coincidences that we have spoken very openly about, but we have not found throughout this entire investigation anything that ties the two attacks directly together.”

There was no evidence that Jabbar and Livelsberger knew each other or served together, authorities said. Authorities said PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, possibly played a factor in the Las Vegas attack.

”Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily-decorated combat veteran who is struggling with PTSD and other issues," said Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas Division.

Investigators also discovered two letters related to Livelsberger.

“He says ‘fellow service members, veterans and all Americans. Time to wake up,’" according to excerpts of one letter read by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren. “We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves." 

Members of the FBI work on Orleans Street and Bourbon Street by St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter near where a suspicious package was detonated during the investigation of a truck crashing into pedestrians on Bourbon Street Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. The suspect was also seen leaving the rolling cooler by the corner of the red building which contained the package that was previously detonated. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

The French Quarter was fully reopened to the public on Friday with enhanced security measures, the New Orleans Police Department said.

Authorities will manage traffic and street closures in the area, including along Bourbon Street, which will remain closed to vehicles from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., which has always been the case.

"In light of the tragic events on New Year's Day, we are increasing our security presence in partnership with other law enforcement agencies," a police news release states. "This enhanced safety effort will continue daily, not just during large events."

The city will provide further updates as major event like the Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras approaches, the department said.

New Orleans locals and visitors have been questioning why a temporary barrier intended to prevent cars from entering Bourbon Street, where a terrorist killed 14 people by driving a truck through a New Year's crowd in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, was set down instead of up, allowing vehicles to pass. 

The temporary metal barriers were installed on Bourbon Street and other areas of the French Quarter in mid-November as the city was in the process of removing old bollards and replacing them with stainless steel bollards. That work was expected to continue through January.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill directed Fox News to the New Orleans Police Department for questions about the barricades but said her office "will be evaluating everything over the next few weeks in preparation for the Super Bowl."

"Local law enforcement was the lead agency for preparations in advance of the Sugar Bowl," Murrill said. "Those questions should be directed towards the New Orleans Police Department. We can assure you that we will be evaluating everything over the next few weeks in preparation for the Super Bowl." 

The New Orleans Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment.

This is an excerpt from an article by Audrey Conklin, Garrett Tenney and Ashley Papa.

The New Orleans City Council will launch a probe to investigate the terror attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people when a driver plowed into crowds of people on Jan. 1.

A local and state legislative committee convened by the council will examine "the incident and its implications" for the city's preparedness for future attacks, Council President Helena Moreno wrote in a letter to her colleague, JP Morrell, NOLA.com reported.

"This Committee will play a crucial role in assessing our current policies, enhancing security measures and ensuring we are adequately prepared to respond to any future threats," wrote Moreno.

The probe is in addition to the criminal investigation being led by the FBI.

Morrell told media outlets that the probe stemmed from the "substantial deficiencies" in the city's preparation for the deadly attack. 

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day has been identified as active-duty U.S. Army soldier Matthew Livelsberger, pictured right. Livelsberger's attack took place within hours of Jabbar's in New Orleans. (Fox News)

The Pentagon was asked on Friday about the suspects in separate New Year's Day attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas about their military connections.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh was asked if Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was radicalized while serving in the U.S. Army before referring the question to the FBI.

She also referred questions about whether Jabbar and Las Vegas suspect Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, who served in the Army as a “Green Beret,” to the military.

I'm not tracking and I think the FBI said this, that there's a connection between the two events. I'm not tracking that there's an overlap in their service record," Singh said. "That being said, I would refer you to Army just to speak more to that. But at this moment, I'm not tracking that they had an overlap at any time."

President Joe Biden pauses during a photo opportunity with Medal of Valor recipients in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Biden has spoken to families of the victims involved in the New Orleans terror attack, the White House said Friday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden spoke to the families and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

"Since Wednesday, the president has held regular meetings with his Homeland Security team to receive the latest information on the investigation and convey the need to do everything possible to complete this investigation and keep the American people safe," Jean-Pierre said.

"As he made clear, there is no justification for violence of any kind and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities," she added.

Biden continues to receive regular updates on both the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, she said.

Consulting firm Deloitte confirmed New Orleans terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar had been on staff since 2021. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the Army veteran who officials say carried out the terrorist attack at a New Year's celebration in New Orleans early Wednesday, worked with consulting firm Deloitte, earning about $10,000 a month.

In a statement, Deloitte said Jabbar had "served in a staff-level role" since being hired in 2021 and that the company was doing all it could to assist authorities.

"We are shocked to learn of reports today that the individual identified as a suspect had any association with our firm," Deloitte said in a statement to FOX Business on Wednesday evening. "The named individual served in a staff-level role since being hired in 2021."

Authorities identified Jabbar as the man who drove a truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who died at the scene of the attack, was a U.S.-born citizen who lived in Texas.

The firm added, "Like everyone, we are outraged by this shameful and senseless act of violence and are doing all we can to assist authorities in their investigation."

This is an excerpt from an article by Breck Dumas.

Two Israelis among the more than 30 surviving victims injured in the New Orleans terror attack are reservists who were granted leave from the Hamas war and decided to come to the United States as tourists, an Israeli diplomat told Fox News Digital. 

Elad Shoshan, Consul of Israel for the Southwest United States, is based in Houston, Texas, but traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of the truck-ramming attack that also killed 14 victims celebrating New Year's Day on the famed Bourbon Street.

Shoshan said the families of the two injured Israelis would like their names kept private. They are not local and are two Israeli tourists, both men in their mid-to-late twenties, who decided to come to the United States for about a month and a half. 

"They came after a long time being, serving as soldiers in Israel and the war, and they got leave that they can go and just freshen up or take their mind out of things. And that was the purpose for them to come here and to travel," Shoshan told Fox News Digital. "They were called on reserve to serve in the current war. So they participated and took part and contributed like many other Israeli citizens that were call for reserve. And again, came here to travel." 

As soon as he learned Israelis were injured in New Orleans, Shoshan said he hopped on a plane to the city and was in contact with federal authorities. He said law enforcement tells him the Israelis were not specifically targeted. 

"What we know till now that it wasn't an attack against Israelis or Jewish people specifically, it was an attack against Americans, against tourists from all over the world to see how they can – how the perpetrator can inflict as much damage as possible and unfortunately kill as much people as possible," Shoshan told Fox News Digital. "They were in the line of the ramming path, and they were hit by the ramming at quite, quite the beginning." 

This is an excerpt from an article by Danielle Wallace.

The aunt of New Orleans terror attack victim Martin "Tiger" Bech, a former All-Ivy League kick returner for the Princeton University football team, said faith is guiding the family through the devastating loss.

"It's honestly remarkable. You know, as devastating as this is, God is so present," Cheri Bech told "Fox & Friends First" Friday.

Tiger, 27, was visiting his home state of Louisiana to fish and hunt with college friends when a truck driver plowed into crowds on Canal and Bourbon Street in the early morning on New Year's Day, killing at least 14.

Cheri told Fox News producers before her interview that Tiger's mother felt as if he had been saying his goodbyes for weeks before the tragedy.

"It gives me chills to talk about it," co-host Ashley Strohmier remarked.

Cheri detailed how their faith in God has been a backbone for her family's grief journey.

"On New Year's night, we had learned of the news of Tiger. My daughters and I were sitting at our dinner table, and one of my daughters looked at me and said, ‘Mom, you know, someone killed my cousin. And I forgive him,'" she revealed. 

"It's through our faith in Jesus that we're able to forgive such a heinous act of crime against just innocent people."

This is an excerpt from an article by Kayla Bailey.

Federal investigators were seen returning to suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar's Houston home as their investigation continues into the Bourbon Street terror attack that shocked New Orleans.

"I can confirm FBI Houston is back at the location conducting law enforcement activity," a spokesperson for the FBI's Houston office said.

Sources told Fox News that the Harris County Sheriff's Office bomb squad also returned to the house to collect additional evidence.

The FBI and a Houston SWAT team raided Jabbar’s home early Thursday morning. The team left the front door off its hinges and cracked open, revealing much of the house’s living room, kitchen and a glimpse of a bedroom. 

From outside the front porch, Jabbar’s living room could be seen left in a state of disarray by law enforcement officers who searched the home. A black suitcase lay strewn on the floor and a dart board and fake fireplace could be seen on the far side of the wall. 

Next-door neighbors described Jabbar to Fox News Digital as a quiet, respectful neighbor who was devoted to his Islamic religion. A bookshelf sitting near the front door seems to back his religious devotion, containing several copies of the Quran and books about Islam as well as one about Christianity. 

On the opposite side of the house, Jabbar had an elevated desk with a computer set up and a can of pepper spray, as well as several other items. A green, military-style backpack also lay near the kitchen. 

Jabbar was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and was living in a rented mobile home in Houston. The house is in a neighborhood among several other mobile homes and RVs, just about a seven-minute walk from the Masjid Bilal Mosque and Darul Arqam Islamic school. 

Fox News' Brooke Taylor, Michael Ruiz and Peter Pinedo contributed to this update. 

Among the materials recovered from suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar's Houston home were precursor chemicals that can be used to make homemade explosives, a law enforcement source told Fox News. 

Attack plans recovered by the FBI included the placement of crude bombs in New Orleans in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, officials said Thursday. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be nonfunctional.

The FBI investigation now turns to how Jabbar – a U.S. Army veteran who recently held a six-figure job – was radicalized. He grew up Muslim in Texas and most recently lived in Houston.

"This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old, and we have no indication at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar," FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia from the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters said on Thursday. "The FBI is surging people and assets to this area from across the region and across the nation."

"Let us be very clear—what happened here in New Orleans was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act," he added. 

Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this update.

The U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Support Activity Annapolis in Maryland will increase Force Protection measures in the wake of the Bourbon Street terror attack, officials said Friday.

Until further notice, visitors will not be permitted at the academy except for sponsored events, and all attendees must be vetted before they are permitted to enter. Additionally, those with credentials are no longer allowed to escort those without on the grounds.

Greenbury Point is also closed until further notice, including fenced access roads and established trails and the nature center, NSA Annapolis posted on X. All gates have implemented ID checks. 

These measures come after suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a large crowd of New Year's revelers gathered on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. At least 14 people were killed in the attack and dozens more injured. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. 

The FBI has remained silent on whether it will fire or discipline the agent who initially told the media and public that the shocking New Year's Day attack in New Orleans was "not a terrorist event," before the agency quickly backtracked and reported the attack was in fact under investigation as a terror incident. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI's press office and press secretary on Thursday and Friday, inquiring whether New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan would face termination or disciplinary action over her initial claim the attack was not connected to terrorism, but did not receive replies. Fox Digital also called the FBI press office on Friday morning but could not leave a message regarding the inquiry as the voicemail box was full. 

After chaos unfolded on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning as New Year's revelers celebrated the holiday, Duncan spoke during a press conference, declaring the attack was not connected to terrorism. 

"We'll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event," Duncan said during the presser. 

During that same press conference, however, the mayor of New Orleans told the media and public that the city did in fact suffer a terror attack. 

"Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It's all still under investigation," Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. 

On Thursday, the FBI responded to Fox Digital's request for comment regarding criticisms surrounding Duncan's initial assessment that the attack was not connected to terrorism, detailing to Fox Digital that, on the day of the attack, the FBI released three different statements that all said that the FBI was investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. 

"This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism," the FBI said in one of the statements provided to Fox Digital. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Emma Colton.

Allstate CEO Tom Wilson ignited a firestorm of backlash on social media Thursday with a video statement addressing Wednesday's terror attack in New Orleans that killed more than a dozen people. 

Wilson's statement came ahead of the Sugar Bowl, of which Allstate is the official corporate sponsor, after the game was postponed to Thursday due to the attack. In the video, Wilson suggested Americans have an "addiction to divisiveness" and must "accept people's imperfections and differences."

"Our prayers went to victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity. Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people's imperfections and differences. Together we win," Wilson says in the video. 

Wilson's words sparked outrage among social media users. The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI is working to determine Jabbar's "potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations," after an ISIS flag was found affixed to the truck.

This is an excerpt from an article by Jackson Thompson.

Surveillance footage from Bourbon Street shared with Fox News Digital shows terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar speeding his electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck toward a crowd of New Year's revelers, who narrowly escapes the fast-moving vehicle, around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Authorities fatally shot Jabbar after he drove his vehicle through the crowd, killing 14 people and opening fire on police in what officials described as a terrorist attack.

"A 5,000-pound vehicle going at a high rate of speed in an urban area is utterly devastating. And it's very clear the trend is that this is becoming — this tactic of choice among terrorists globally, because recently we've seen a proliferation of these," Paul Mauro, Fox News contributor and former NYPD inspector, told Fox News Digital. 

Mauro added that police departments across the nation have shifted their standard operating procedures because "it's no longer enough to wait for the feds to do their counterterrorism."

He said "electric vehicles in general are so quiet" that Jabbar may have made the conscious decision to rent an electric vehicle for the purpose of taking more victims by surprise.

A manager at Krystal, a fast-food restaurant on Bourbon Street, shared the surveillance video with Fox Digital, and said New Year's celebrations had been going relatively smoothly in the French Quarter compared to prior years. Visitors were having fun, but not being overly rambunctious, he recalled.

Multiple business employees located near the entrance of Bourbon Street told Fox News Digital that authorities installed temporary barriers to block traffic at certain street entrances in the French Quarter around Christmastime as the city planned to repair and upgrade its permanent barriers. 

However, the barrier situated at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets was not upright on New Year's Eve, meaning vehicles could drive over the flattened barricade and onto Bourbon Street from Canal Street. A video shows Jabbar driving the rented pickup truck off Canal Street and around a police vehicle blockade at the entrance of Bourbon Street before plowing into revelers.

"The lesson is, even if you take prophylactic steps, you can't secure a very large event 100%, and we just have to accept that. Now, that said … we do have to accept the fact that they made mistakes," Mauro said. "You have to ask yourselves: If you have New Orleans New Year's — which I actually have been to, and it is a zoo, you get tons of people — then you have the Sugar Bowl, then you have the Super Bowl, then you have Mardis Gras, who made the decision to decide to remove the barriers that they had for upgrading?"

This is an excerpt from an article by Audrey Conklin.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden plan to travel to New Orleans next week to visit with those impacted by the New Year's Day terror attack on Bourbon Street. 

"On Monday, January 6, the President and First Lady will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana. The President and First Lady will grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack on January 1 and meet with officials on the ground," the White House said in a statement.

"To all the families of those who were killed, to all those who were injured, to all the people in New Orleans who are grieving today, I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you.  We’re going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal in the weeks to come," Biden said Thursday.

"New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world.  It’s a city full of charm and joy.  So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture, and, above all, its people.  So, I know, while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated.  It always will shine forth."

Before the devastating terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day rocked the nation, President Biden and his administration repeatedly stressed that the greatest threat facing the country was White supremacy — even explicitly stating that terrorist organizations such as ISIS could not compare to the danger posed by White supremacists. 

"According to the intelligence community, terrorism from White supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today. Not ISIS, not al Qaeda — White supremacists," Biden said in June 2021 on the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. 

The comment came just weeks after he declared during the State of the Union that year, "We won’t ignore what our intelligence agencies have determined to be the most lethal terrorist threat to the homeland today: White supremacy is terrorism."

Early on New Year’s Day, New Orleans and the nation were rocked by a suspected terror attack when a man identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, allegedly rammed a truck into crowds of revelers celebrating the holiday on the city’s famed Bourbon Street. The FBI confirmed on Wednesday that they were investigating the incident as an act of terror, noting that they had confirmed the suspect had an ISIS flag in the vehicle at the time of the attack. 

ISIS is a jihadist group that has carried out terrorist attacks worldwide but has lost momentum in recent years, including in 2019 when U.S. forces killed Iraqi militant and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The FBI said Thursday that Jabbar had been "inspired" by ISIS, adding that they have not found any evidence that he was directed by ISIS to carry out the attack. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Emma Colton.

The Texas man who plowed a rented pickup truck into New Year's revelers on New Orleans' Bourbon Street Wednesday, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, and the man eyed in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas hours later, Matthew Livelsberger, were both Army soldiers who served at Fort Liberty and deployed to Aghanistan in 2009, according to authorities.

A defense official, however, told Fox News that there was no evidence based on their military service that the attacks were related. While both men served at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, they were there at different times. The North Carolina base is currently home to more than 50,000 service members. 

Authorities continued to release new information at separate news briefings Thursday, with FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia telling reporters in New Orleans that there was "no definitive link" uncovered between the attack and the explosion.

In Las Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that while both men went to Afghanistan in 2009, any potential ties there were still under investigation. Between 2007 and 2015, Jabbar was a human resources specialist and an IT specialist. Livelsberger was an Army Green Beret in the 10th Special Forces group.

"We don't have any evidence that they were in the same province in Afghanistan, the same location or the same unit," McMahill said. "Again, something else that remains under investigation."

The Army did not immediately respond to a request for more details on their time in Afghanistan.

Both men used the Turo app to rent electric pickup trucks used in the incidents, he said. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Michael Ruiz.

Billy DiMaio via LinkedIN

Billy DiMaio, 25, of New Jersey has been identified as one of the 14 people killed early Wednesday morning when a man drove a truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans into a crowd of people. 

DiMaio "was a good, humble kid," who "loved life," his father Bill DiMaio noted, according to NOLA.com. 

He called Billy "a special child," and noted, "He had a gift that everyone saw right away."

"He was a pure, gentle-hearted soul. He will be truly missed," DiMaio's mother Tracie said, according to the outlet. "He put his family first, and his friends meant the whole world to him," she noted.

The 25-year-old was "a true asset to the Audacy team," Audacy CEO David Field noted in a statement, according to audacy.com/wwl, which noted that DiMaio worked as an account manager and was promoted recently to account executive.

Di Maio had traveled to the New Orleans-area to celebrate New Year's and hang out with friends who were attending the Sugar Bowl, his parents told NOLA.com. 

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this update.

New Orleans terror scene and an ISIS member waving a flag

Investigators probing the deadly New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans say suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar flew an ISIS flag on the back of the pick-up truck he used to mow down dozens of innocent revelers – killing at least 14 of them.

ISIS, IS, or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, is a breakaway terrorist group from al-Qaeda that has conducted and inspired terrorist attacks around the world, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, according to the Director of National Intelligence.

The Islamic terror group has inspired a string of deadly attacks on the homeland resulting in 85 deaths.

Here are six notable attacks:

1.       2016 Pulse Nightclub massacre — 49 dead 

2.       2025 New Orleans truck attack — 14 dead

3.       2015 San Bernardino shooting — 14 dead

4.       2017 NYC bike path attack — 8 dead

5.       2016 Ohio State University attack — 11 injured

6.       2017 New York City subway bomber — 3 injured.

Following a search of  Bourbon Street terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s home in Houston, Texas, local and federal law enforcement found “bomb making materials," FOX News is told. 

No other details were given when sources who were not authorized to speak publicly were asked to describe the materials. 

Those bomb making materials are currently being analyzed. 

Attack plans recovered by the FBI included the placement of crude bombs in New Orleans in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, officials said Thursday. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be nonfunctional.

The FBI investigation now turns to how Jabbar – a U.S. Army veteran who recently held a six-figure job – was radicalized. He grew up Muslim in Texas and most recently lived in Houston.

"This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old, and we have no indication at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar," FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia from the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters said on Thursday. "The FBI is surging people and assets to this area from across the region and across the nation."

"Let us be very clear—what happened here in New Orleans was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act," he added. 

Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this update.

ISIS, IS, or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, is a breakaway terrorist group from al-Qaeda that has conducted and inspired terrorist attacks around the world, causing thousands of deaths and injuries, according to the Director of National Intelligence.

The group embraces Sunni Islamist ideology that seeks to establish a global caliphate, a global Islamic state governed by a strict interpretation of Sharia law.

As well as terror attacks, the group has been known to carry out beheadings on videos and systematic rape and other sexual violence against members of other faiths. The group also targets fellow Sunni Muslims who stray from its harsh interpretation of Islam.

Under former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS seized stunning amounts of territory in Iraq and Syria by 2014. 

Al-Baghdadi was killed by U.S. Joint Special Operations Command in 2019 and U.S.-backed forces ejected ISIS from its last stronghold in Syria before declaring victory over the terror group, although it continues to operate clandestinely there and in Iraq.

The group’s roots can be traced to 2004, when an Iraqi extremist network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi merged with al-Qaeda to form ISIS’s predecessor group, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). In 2013, AQI changed its name to ISIS and in 2014 the group separated from al-Qaeda, declaring itself a caliphate, taking over vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. 

The Associated Press contributed to this update.

Top U.S. national security officials are urging law enforcement nationwide to say alert and be ready to respond to possible copy cat terrorists. 

A joint bulletin prepared by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security went out to approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the country – many local police and sheriff departments – warning those who wear the uniform to be hyper vigilant regarding copy cat attacks after the New Orleans attack.

For a decade ISIS has urged Muslims in the west to carry out attacks against non-believers. The bulletin speaks to that and provides signs law enforcement should be on the lookout for.

To be clear, there is no specific intelligence in the memo warning of a specific copycat attack. This is a general warning to keep people aware and prepared.

These bulletins are frequent and often go out after attacks like New Orleans to remind everyone to pay close attention.

Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this update.

The FBI released photos of surveillance footage that shows Shamsud-Din Jabbar an hour before he drove a truck down Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on Jan. 1, 2025. (FBI via AP)

New Orleans is still reeling on Friday, the third day since the truck-ramming attack killed 14 people, as well as the alleged terrorist who died during a shootout with police early on New Year's Day. 

The FBI released new eerie surveillance images Thursday showing the now-deceased suspect – 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar – just about an hour before he allegedly sped a rented Ford pick-up through a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers in the attack that officials say was inspired by the Islamic State. More than 30 others were injured. Despite previously investigating the potential of accomplices in the attack, the FBI said Thursday the bureau is confident Jabbar acted alone. 

The surveillance images released by the FBI show Jabbar, dressed neatly in a long light brown coat, a dark button-down shirt, blue jeans and brown dress shoes, walking along Dauphine St. near Governor Nicholls St. at 2:03 a.m. CST – about an hour before the attack. Additional images showed coolers Jabbar allegedly placed on the street. Officials said he planted improvised explosive devices inside with the intention of causing added carnage. 

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace contributed to this update.

Fox News spoke with Shamsud-Din Jabbar's half-brother, Abdur Rahim-Jabbar, in Beaumont, Texas. (Abdur Rahim-Jabbar)

The half-brother of the terrorist suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar blamed radicalization for the attack on New Year's Day in New Orleans.

Fox News spoke with Abdur Rahim-Jabbar in Beaumont, Texas, where they grew up alongside three additional siblings.Abdur said that they grew up Muslim, along with his whole family.

He said that Jabbar stepped away from Islam, but found his way back following his 2022 divorce.Jabbar struggled to find himself throughout his life, his half-brother told Fox News.

He said that his half-brother joined the army to “find something, to set him straight, ground him, and maybe find a viable career path.”

Following Jabbar's two divorces, his brother said that he was “looking for some type of guidance.”

His half-brother blamed radicalization for the attack and said that he did not see any signs prior to the attack, as well as expressing his condolences for the 15 lives lost.

He said this “was not a direct reflection of his brother and the Muslim community.” Fox News' Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.