JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A U.S. Army veteran with an ISIS flag on his truck swerved around makeshift barriers and plowed into New Orleans’ crowded French Quarter on New Year’s Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
On Thursday, the FBI revealed that the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he proclaimed his support for the Islamic State group and previewed the violence that he would soon unleash in the city’s famed French Quarter district.
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The FBI also said Thursday Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in the deadly attack that officials said was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Former FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner joined The Morning Show on Thursday to talk about the terrorist attack and how it raises the specter that ISIS is a persistent threat.
Brunner also addressed the concerns about others being involved and the possibility of cells operating elsewhere around the country.
As authorities work to understand the full scope of the situation, more information is being shared about the steps being taken to ensure public safety for the Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl 59 and Mardi Gras.
“Additional resources as the governor alluded to, he executed the executive powers and had an emergency declared. This allowed us to bring additional explosive K-9s so that we can safely sweep the city and safely sweep the Sugar Bowl in preparation for the game today,” ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson said Thursday during a news conference in New Orleans.
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News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said he believes a new safety plan will help law enforcement prevent similar incidents.
“I truly do. And again, I feel like it’s the responsible thing to do from law enforcement. Yeah, when you go to one of these things, you’re really vulnerable when it comes to moving in a crowd. It’s law enforcement’s responsibility to as much as possible keep those events safe,” Hackney said. “Perimeter-wise, trying to keep an absolute, definite separation between the people on foot and vehicular traffic, to try to keep a buffer zone. And it gives that buffer zone will give law enforcement the ability to react if somebody does come through one of these barricades.”