“A terrorist act which should not have taken place”, reacts the spokesperson for the American Republicans in France

The suspect, a former US Army soldier who converted to Islam, was shot dead during the shootout with police.

“It's a shock“, reacts the spokesperson for the American Republican Party in France, Isaac Barchichat, on franceinfo Thursday January 2, the day after the car-ramming attack in New Orleans which left at least 15 dead. This “terrorist act“, he judges, “should not have taken place on American territory, with all the measures that successive governments have taken“and that”recalls the dark years that America has known“.

This attack “could have and should not have happened in New Orleans“, insists the spokesperson for the Overseas Republicans, “including security measures, a much more rigorous security perimeter“Isaac Barchichat doesn't understand how the suspect's pickup truck could have been.”easily bypass the security perimeter to enter where he should not have carried out his massacre in a determined manner“.

The French quarter where the attack took place has normally been equipped with automatic metal barriers since 2017, but these barriers were under repair. Instead, police positioned cars and flying barriers. The suspect, 42, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former US Army soldier who converted to Islam, was shot dead during the shootout with police.

“Could this type of event not have been the subject of increased surveillance by domestic intelligence?“, asks Isaac Barchichat. The supporter of Donald Trump assures that the future Republican president “wants to strengthen and change the working method” to fight against terrorism. He also calls for a strengthening of the “Patriot Act”, this law put in place after the attacks of September 11, 2001, which strongly strengthened the power of the intelligence agencies (FBI, CIA, NSA).