the essential
American investigators are looking into whether the attack in New Orleans and the explosion in Las Vegas are linked. Several coincidences between the two attacks are indeed disturbing.
Two attacks on American soil in the space of a few hours. In the words of President Joe Biden, authorities are looking to know “if there is any possible connection” between the attack in New Orleans and the explosion of a Tesla in Las Vegas this Wednesday, January 1. “So far, there is nothing to report on this subject,” he clarified. But several elements coincide between the two events.
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Two attacks on the same day
The vehicular attack which left at least 15 dead and around thirty injured took place at 3:15 a.m. in New Orleans, or 10:15 a.m. French time. While the explosion of the Tesla Cybertruck, which killed one person and injured seven others, occurred at 8:40 a.m. in La Vegas, or at 6:40 p.m. in Paris. Barely more than 7 hours separate the two events.
In emblematic places
The Old French Square of New Orleans is a very touristy district, which never sleeps, crowded with people, 24 hours a day. A fairly comparable site at the famous Las Vegas Boulevard, where the Trump hotel targeted by the Tesla Cybertruck explosion is located.
Vehicles rented via the same application
For the latter, as for the attack on New Orleans, the vehicles were rented via the same application, Turowhich is used by millions of Americans. A spokesperson for the company reacted in a press release and claimed to be assisting the authorities in their investigation. “We do not believe that the tenants involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had criminal histories that would have identified them as a security threat,” it said.
The profile of the suspects
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man who rushed his car into the crowd in the French tourist district of New Orleans, is an “American national from Texas,” says the FBI. Aged 42, he is a former army soldier. In Las Vegas, the man who was killed in the explosion was Matthew Livelsberger. Originally from Colorado Springs, he was also a former soldier, with 10 years of service. According to the American television channel ABC, he would have served in the same military base than Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
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Attack in New Orleans: complicity, weapons, ex-soldier… What do we know about Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the alleged suspect?
Their motivations
Joe Biden pointed out that the New Orleans suspect shot by police had “posted videos on social media indicating thathe was inspired by the Islamic State“.
While in Las Vegas, the perpetrator of the attack may have targeted the future administration in power. Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, will in fact be one of Donald Trump’s special advisors. However, Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said there was “no indication” linking the explosion outside the Trump hotel to the Islamic State (IS) group. “There is no visible IS flag as was the case in New Orleans,” the police officer said.
