Authorities held a press conference on January 2, revealing that they found “no definitive link” between the recent New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans and an explosion at the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas that occurred soon after.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia stated that, concerning the New Orleans attack, officials currently do not believe there are any other suspects involved. The key suspect, identified as an Army veteran named Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was driven by ISIS ideology. Raia described the event as an “act of terrorism,” calling it a “premeditated and evil act.”
On New Year’s Day, Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans around 3:15 a.m. and then exited the vehicle, engaging in a gunfight with police. His actions tragically resulted in at least 15 deaths and many injuries. Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, was killed by police during the incident. Authorities later discovered an ISIS flag in his vehicle. Raia mentioned that Jabbar had pledged allegiance to ISIS shortly before the attack and had joined the group in mid-2024.
Investigators found that Jabbar had initially considered targeting his own family and friends but ultimately decided against it, believing such actions wouldn’t sufficiently convey his perceived “war” between believers and non-believers.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel around 8:40 a.m. local time, resulting in the driver’s death and injuring seven others. Police confirmed that the vehicle was rented by an Army member named Matthew Alan Livelsberger from Colorado and had been parked in the hotel valet area when the blast occurred.
There was immediate speculation about whether the Cybertruck explosion was politically motivated, given its location and the involvement of high-profile figures like Tesla’s Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police reported that hazardous materials, including gasoline and large fireworks, were found in the back of the vehicle, adding to the explosion’s intensity.
While investigating, FBI officials also noted that they were exploring whether the Las Vegas explosion could be linked to terrorism. President Joe Biden acknowledged during a speech on January 1 that authorities were looking into potential connections between both incidents, although he stated that no definitive conclusions had been reached at that time.
