The man who carried out the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, and he is being investigated for having ties to ISIS.
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As RedState reported previously, the truck used to mow down dozens of people went through a border crossing at Eagle Pass, TX in November. It is not clear whether that fact is connected to the attacker because the truck was a rental. Regardless, the assailant exited the vehicle after ramming through the crowd and started shooting. He was eventually killed by police after a firefight. CPR failed to revive him.
Notably and inexcusably, the FBI initially proclaimed this was not a terrorist attack, with the FBI Special Agent in Charge making that statement after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell had already confirmed it was one.
SEE: FBI Already in Hot Water With Announcement on NOLA Attack
FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT: This is not a terrorist attack. What it is right now is there improvised explosive devices that was found, and we are working on confirming if this is a viable device or not.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the spokeswoman (that was the role she was operating in for the moment) didn’t realize the mayor had already let the cat out of the bag or if the FBI simply wanted to keep things under wraps for the time being, but it was another example of why the bureau has lost so much trust among the American public.
The fact that it has become expected for the FBI to mislead the public about any attack that might not be politically convenient for a certain political party is inexcusable. We’ve seen that play out so many times, from the Nashville “transgender” attack to the Waukesha massacre.
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Returning to the attacker, I had seen a picture of him post-mortem before his identity was revealed. He had a darker complexion with a beard. He was also wearing combat fatigues. I can’t post it due to its graphic nature. Couple that with the jihadi flag that appeared to be attached to the back of the truck, and there’s just no excuse for the FBI to have not been more upfront with the public initially.
They knew exactly what this was from the moment they arrived on the scene. If the assistant special agent in charge who made the “This is not terrorism” statement did that on her own, then she needs to be relieved of her duties. That kind of incompetence can’t happen when the bureau’s reputation is already in tatters.
This is a developing story. RedState will have more information as it becomes available.
UPDATE:
The assailant was born and raised in Texas. He also served in the U.S. Army. That makes it likely that the border crossing at Eagle Pass was unrelated to the attack. It wouldn’t be unusual for a rental vehicle from Houston to go to Mexico and back.
As to the weapons used, Shamsud Din Jabbar carried a Glock handgun and a .308 rifle. The rifle had been reported stolen in New Jersey.
