FBI says New Orleans attacker acted alone but was inspired by ISIS

Amna Nawaz:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

Answers slowly began to trickle out today after the deadly New Year's truck attack in New Orleans. Officials revised the death toll down to 14 victims, plus the suspect. They also gave more details about his activities in the hours before the attack.

Laura Barron-Lopez begins our coverage from New Orleans.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

As the sun rose over New Orleans this morning, the French Quarter, known for its parties and bustling crowds, was eerily quiet and under tight security, residents, business owners and tourists coming to terms with the deadly New Year's attack on Bourbon Street.

Guy Lamothe, New Orleans Tour Guide:

Sadly, this attack was not against New Orleans. It was against the nation. And, sadly, it occurred here.

Dickie Brennan, Restaurant Owner:

We can't replace these lives, but we can make it better than we found it. And I think that's what New Orleans is great at doing.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

While the city grieved, law enforcement officials pieced together a picture of the suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. born Army veteran.

Christopher Raia, Deputy FBI Assistant Director:

This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Christopher Raia of the FBI's counterterrorism division said the agency now believes Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from yesterday. Raia detailed the latest timeline at a press conference this morning.

He said Jabbar rented the white pickup truck used in the attack in Houston Monday, and on Tuesday night drove it to New Orleans. Then, in the hours before the attack, he posted five videos online, proclaiming his support for ISIS.

Christopher Raia:

In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the — quote — "war between the believers and the disbelievers" — end quote. Additionally, he stated he had joined ISIS before this summer.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

In addition to an ISIS flag, authorities found guns and an apparent explosive device in Jabbar's truck.

Today, the FBI's Raia said there's also footage of Jabbar putting explosives in coolers at two locations in the French Quarter. He said initial reporting that accomplices placed coolers was untrue. Authorities have received more than 400 tips and are now examining Jabbar's laptops and phones.

President Biden addressed the attacks today in remarks at the White House.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: The people of New Orleans are sending an unmistakable message. They will not let this attack or the attacks — attacker's deluded ideology overcome us. We're going to continue to relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organizations where they are, and they will find no safe harbor here.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

As the day wore on in the French Quarter, there were signs of a slow return to normal, with Bourbon Street reopening to the public.

Freddie King III represents this part of the French Quarter on the New Orleans City Council.

Freddie King III, New Orleans, Louisiana, City Councilman:

Never anticipated that this would be an act of terror, that it was something that was done intentionally. That's — those kind of things just don't happen in New Orleans.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

King is focused on what needs to be done moving forward, including increasing protection for Bourbon Street and the entire French Quarter.

Freddie King III:

I understand it's human nature to want to get answers, to want to find out who's to blame and how that has happened, to point fingers. I just don't think that that's warranted here.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

How has the community and the people of New Orleans responded to this attack?

Freddie King III:

Like we always do. Like we did for Katrina, like we did for Hurricane Ida and everything in between. We rally around each other. We support those who need support.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Meanwhile, the Sugar Bowl football game postponed from yesterday due to the attack kicked off this afternoon, with fans swarming downtown New Orleans, though with a heavier police presence.

LaToya Cantrell, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana: The city of New Orleans, we're resilient.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell:

LaToya Cantrell:

I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we're ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city, because we are built to host at every single turn.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

But Cantrell said the focus must remain on the victims and their families as details emerged about some of those killed.

Among them, Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, Nikyra Dedeaux, an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi, Nicole Perez, a single mother of a 4-year-old, and Tiger Bech, a 27-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, who played football at Princeton.

Amna Nawaz:

And Laura Barron-Lopez joins us now from New Orleans.

So, Laura, you are on the newly reopened Bourbon Street right now. Just tell us what it's like there at the moment.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Amna, here on Bourbon Street, we're exactly where the suspect drove onto the sidewalk. And it's slowly reopening here. There are a lot of people out enjoying themselves. And they're — it's slowly returning to normal on Bourbon Street.

You can see, though, that there are more barricades here than there were previously to my right, which there are some yellow barricades on the sidewalk now that were not there previously because of the fact that the suspect was able to drive onto the sidewalk when he conducted the attack.

Amna Nawaz:

I know you have been talking to some residents there, to city leaders as well. What are you hearing from them about what they have seen in the way of a response so far and also what they want to see happen next?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Many of the people that we spoke to said that they never expected a terror attack here in the French Quarter in New Orleans. And that's the new reality that they're living with now.

However, a lot of the people we spoke to, business owners, residents, elected officials, said that they felt that the police acted quickly, that they were mostly happy with the city's response. My producer, Mary Fecteau, did speak to a tour guide and the tour guide told her that New Orleans has always been a place where people come and are able to feel free and they come and they're able to enjoy themselves.

And it typically is a celebratory city, and that that's been tainted a little bit. But, overall, Amna, people feel as though New Orleans is going to be resilient and respond forcefully and try to go back to life as normal.

One of the councilmembers that I spoke to, Councilmember Freddie King, who represents this area of New Orleans, said that he wants to see more permanent barriers placed on Bourbon Street, specifically, on the sidewalks, and that he is hopeful that the city can create a plan that maybe other cities can replicate in times of terror attacks like this one.

Amna Nawaz:

Meanwhile, as the authorities learn more about the attack, they have been sharing more of those details. What new details have we learned?

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Amna, today we learned that the suspect was 100 percent inspired by ISIS. The FBI said that today.

They also told — the FBI also briefed House lawmakers and told those lawmakers, according to sources, in that briefing that the suspect was inspired by ISIS, but so far there's no evidence that he took direction from ISIS or any other foreign contacts. And that's something that is going to continue to be investigated.

President Biden said today that he wants the FBI, as well as the intel community, to continue to investigate any potential contacts that the suspect had as well. And President Biden also revealed today that there was a remote detonator inside the suspect's vehicle that would have been used to set off the explosives that were placed in two nearby areas in the French Quarter.

Amna Nawaz:

All right, that is Laura Barron-Lopez reporting from the scene of that horrific attack in New Orleans.

Laura, thank you.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Thank you.