US investigates possible link between New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks
US authorities are looking for possible links between a vehicle explosion in Las Vegas and the New Orleans terror attack.
‘We are following the explosion of a (Tesla) Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel. Law enforcement and intelligence are investigating this, including whether there is any possible connection to the New Orleans attack,‘ President Joe Biden said in an address to the nation shortly after a driver plowed a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year's Eve on New Orleans’ busy touristy Bourbon Street.
After running over several people, the attacker also shot at least two police officers, leaving a total of 15 dead and around 35 injured.
Hours after this attack, a Tesla electric vehicle exploded next to the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one person - who was inside the car - and injuring seven.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, confirmed that the car was in good condition and that what caused the explosion was pyrotechnic material or a bomb that, he assured, was kept inside the vehicle. The billionaire has defended that his vehicle ‘contained the explosion and directed it upwards’, so that ‘not even the glass doors in the lobby were shattered’.
‘The evil assholes chose the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack,’ Musk said. ‘We have confirmed that the explosion was caused by large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the back of the rented Cybertruck and is not related to the vehicle itself,’ the X and SpaceX owner added after stressing that ‘the entire Tesla management team’ is investigating the incident, as it had ‘never’ seen ‘anything like it’.
While the incident in Las Vegas is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, the hit-and-run in New Orleans has already been labelled as jihadist, as the attacker was carrying a Daesh flag in the vehicle.
‘The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has also informed me that, just hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by Daesh's expression of the desire to kill,’ said Biden, who stressed that the attacker was a Texas-born citizen who served in the US Army “for many years”. Authorities have identified him as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, and he was also in the Armed Forces Reserve ‘until a few years ago’.
The outgoing US president stressed that ‘the situation is very fluid and the investigation is in a preliminary phase’, so investigators ‘will continue to look for connections’, although he also asked to avoid ‘jumping to conclusions’.
Biden has also ordered the Attorney General, the FBI Director, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center and the Intelligence Community to ‘work intensively’ until they have ‘complete’ information. ‘Once we have that information, I will share it as soon as we can confirm it,’ he added.
To all the people of New Orleans grieving today, our nation grieves with you.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 2, 2025
I've directed my team to provide every resource necessary to support the ongoing investigation and ensure there is no remaining threat to the American people. pic.twitter.com/4TlJnJHZte
Despite Biden's statements and the fact that both attackers used the same car rental app, a senior law enforcement official has revealed to The New York Times that there was no reason to believe the two episodes were related.
Meanwhile, at a press conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said authorities ‘believe this is an isolated incident’, although they have not yet ruled out a connection to the attack in New Orleans.
