The FBI has clarified that there are no additional suspects in the Islamic terrorist attack on New Orleans’ French Quarter, despite previous reports indicating otherwise. According to FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen who had converted to Islam, was the sole perpetrator of the attack and had pledged allegiance to ISIS before the summer.
The Associated Press had reported on Wednesday that surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices around the French Quarter. However, Raia stated that these individuals were not suspects but potential witnesses that the FBI wanted to speak with.
Raia also mentioned that FBI bomb technicians recovered two IEDs in coolers at different locations in the French Quarter, while other reported devices turned out to be non-functional. Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing the devices where they were found, further implicating him in the attack.
This update from the FBI comes after conflicting statements from FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), and Governor Jeff Landry during a press conference on Wednesday. They had identified the individuals captured on surveillance footage as suspects connected to the attack, but Raia's announcement contradicted their claims.
Jabbar killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more during the attack, using a rented truck to mow down victims before opening fire with a rifle. He was subsequently shot and killed by police. The FBI's conclusion that Jabbar acted alone in the attack sheds new light on the investigation and closes the chapter on speculation regarding additional suspects.