“At this point there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” said Raia, adding that the investigation was in its earliest stages; as reported by multiple news sources.
In a departure from previous reports, the FBI revealed on Thursday that they are “confident” the New Orleans truck assault suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, acted alone, though he was “100% inspired by ISIS.”
Christopher Raia, a FBI counter-terrorism representative, stated that the agency was looking into Jabbar’s evident interest in the Islamic State. Earlier on Wednesday, officials questioned the possibility of coordination with other individuals.
Raia emphasized that there was no apparent connection between the New Orleans incident and the Las Vegas explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with gasoline canisters and fireworks outside the Trump International Hotel, which occurred on the same day, weeks ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.
“At this point there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” Raia reiterated, noting that the investigation is still in its early phases.
During the press conference, Raia indicated that Jabbar had declared his allegiance to the Islamic State via social media.
“This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” Raia told journalists, adding that surveillance footage captured Jabbar placing two explosive devices at the location.
Jabbar was shot dead at the scene after he opened fire at law enforcement. Having traveled from Houston to New Orleans on Dec. 31, he published five videos on Facebook from 1:29 am to 3:02 am on the day of the attack, proclaiming his support for IS, the militant group active in Iraq and Syria, according to the FBI.
In the initial video, Jabbar expressed previous intentions to harm his own family and friends but worried that media attention would neglect the “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” Raia noted.
He stated that he had pledged allegiance to IS prior to last summer and presented his last will and testament, as per Raia’s remarks.
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