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What we know
- The driver behind the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans acted alone, an FBI official said today.
- Fourteen people were killed and dozens were injured when an attacker in a pickup barreled into crowds on Bourbon Street.
- The driver was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas-born U.S. 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.
- Jabbar posted several videos before the attack to an online platform “proclaiming his support for ISIS,” said Chris Raia, the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
- Raia said today that there is "no definitive link" between the New Orleans attack and the explosion in a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
Bourbon Street reopens to lighter crowds a day after New Orleans attack
Bourbon Street reopened today to a light crowd as tourists and locals veered away from the world-famous destination after an attacker plowed through crowds of revealers, killing more than a dozen people on New Year’s Day.
A heavy law enforcement presence could be seen as gatherers from near and far made their way in and out of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues late Thursday.
Along the street was a makeshift memorial of small teddy bears, candles and flowers put together by local workers who witnessed the attack early Wednesday and wanted to pay homage to those who lost their lives.
As evening turned to night Thursday, the sights, bright lights and loud noises of Bourbon Street were as usual but it lacked strong participation.
After New Orleans’ Bourbon Street reopened today after the New Year’s Day vehicle ramming attack, a member of the City Council said everything is being done to keep returning crowds safe.
“What is safe today in the world? What is safe in America? What is safe anywhere today? But we’re doing the best we can,” council member Oliver Thomas said tonight.
"We have people everywhere posted up, and I think we’re taking every precaution necessary,” he said.
The crowds on Bourbon Street did not seem full a day after the attack, which killed 14 people injured over 30 more, but Thomas said revelers will return.
He cited challenges for the city going all the way back to malaria to the more recent Hurricane Katrina and the poor federal response.
“And we came back. Even after Covid," he said. "We’re one of the most resilient, most necessary places in the world. New Orleans will come back."
What’s Turo? The ‘Airbnb of cars’ was used in New Orleans and Las Vegas incidents
An online car rental service is under scrutiny after it was used in two incidents yesterday.
The platform, Turo, is known as an “Airbnb of cars,” as it allows individual owners to rent out their vehicles. Owners, known as “hosts,” can post vehicles to Turo’s website, where people can then rent them, with payments made through the platform.
Turo acknowledged it was used in both incidents in an online statement yesterday.
New Orleans attacker transformed from a model soldier into an ISIS supporter
Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s high school friends knew him as “Sham” — a good student with a quiet disposition and a bright future. He went on to become a model soldier in the Army, where his work ethic and attitude impressed his commander during a tour in Afghanistan.
“He was a great soldier, someone who showed discipline and dedication,” the commander, Rich Groen, posted on social media.
But over the past few years, as Jabbar worked to climb the corporate ladder, his life began to deteriorate. He faced severe money problems and a third divorce. At some point, he fell under the sway of the Islamic State, the terrorist group known as ISIS.
FBI finds remnants of bomb-making in Houston
The FBI found what have been described as the remnants of bomb-making in Jabbar's home in Houston, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
"A significant amount of bomb making materials and chemicals” were found in Jabbar’s trailer in Harris County, which is where Houston is, in the search, which went throughout the night and concluded today, two senior law enforcement officials also said.
Agents are satisfied they found everything of significance in the trailer, a law enforcement official said.
The FBI said yesterday that it and the Harris County Sheriff's Office were searching a location as part of a court-authorized search.
A University of Alabama engineering student, a former wide receiver at Princeton University, a recent high school graduate, a doting father and a first-year college student were among the those who died on New Year’s Day when a pickup truck barreled into crowds on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Fourteen people were killed and more than 30 were injured before police shot and killed the 42-year-old Army veteran who investigators say was at the wheel of the rented vehicle.
New Orleans police and officials with the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office have not released all the names of those killed. But a day after the carnage in the French Quarter, 14 families were bracing for funerals.
UGA alum in New Orleans for Sugar Bowl recalls learning of attack
Darrell Huckaby, 72, was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl with friends and family — a group consisting of generations of University of Georgia grads.
Huckaby said his crew went to sleep at their hotel — on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets — shortly after midnight on New Year's Day. When he woke up the next morning, his phone was flooded with text messages asking whether he was OK.
"I wondered what in the world there was to be OK from," he told NBC News. And then he looked out the window. He said the street below was full of police cars.
"I could see seven bodies still laying in the in the street right outside my window," he said. The bodies were covered in pink blankets, he recalled.
"We were just heartsick," Huckaby said.
He said the vibe in the city was less boisterous than is typical for New Orleans — especially on the day of a bowl game. He and some family members had to leave before today's rescheduled Sugar Bowl because of scheduling conflicts, but others chose to stay.
"Our plane was full of Notre Dame and Georgia fans that were very sad to have to be leaving the city without watching the football game," Huckaby said.
Regardless, he was confident in the city and the security it put in place for the game.
"I know that the Superdome probably be the safest place in in the country tonight, and I have all confidence that people will get to go to the game and get home safely," Huckaby said.
"New Orleans is a tough old broad. She’s been through a lot, and she’ll bounce back from this," he said. He added: "It’s more about the resilience of Americans, and I think both teams will be playing with a different mindset tonight."
Notre Dame wins delayed Sugar Bowl in the wake of New Orleans terrorist attack
Enthusiastic Georgia and Notre Dame fans filed into the Superdome today to watch the Fighting Irish’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl win without any fear of the terrorism that had struck just blocks away.
The odd Thursday afternoon stage was dominated by No. 7 Notre Dame’s stout defense, which was too much for No. 2 Georgia, hobbled by the absence of quarterback Carson Beck, who was injured in last month’s Southeastern Conference title game.
Yesterday’s attack prompted the Sugar Bowl’s postponement with local law enforcement resources devoted to the crime scene, less than a mile from Superdome. Fans observed a moment of silence for victims before kickoff.
Account executive killed in Bourbon Street attack remembered as family man
A New Jersey man who worked as a New York-based account executive was killed in the attack yesterday.
Billy DiMaio, 25, was in Louisiana to celebrate the new year and be with friends, his parents, Bill and Tracy DiMaio, told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate newspaper.
“He was a good, humble kid,” DiMaio’s father said. “He loved life.”
Tracie DiMaio said her was son "was a pure, gentle-hearted soul. He will be truly missed."
DiMaio worked for Audacy Inc., which said today in a statement that it was “heartbroken.”
“Beyond his professional achievements, Billy will be fondly remembered for his unwavering work ethic, positive attitude, and kindness. He was a true asset to the Audacy team, and his contributions and presence will be deeply missed,” Audacy said.
It said it was sending condolences to DiMaio’s family and friends and to his colleagues “who had the privilege of working with him.”
DiMaio was described in the newspaper article as a family man who was a native of Long Island, New York.
DiMaio, the oldest of three children, was close with his brother and sister and considered his father his best friend. He also had a tattoo featuring all of his cousins’ names, the newspaper reported.
Biden says he will try to visit New Orleans
A reporter asked Biden whether he plans to travel to New Orleans in the wake of the attack.
"I'm going to try," he responded as he was leaving the Presidential Citizens Medal ceremony this evening.