Allies of President-elect Donald Trump blast the FBI for its early characterization of the brutal New Orleans car attack as unrelated to terrorism, before the top federal law enforcement agency backtrack and launch a terrorist investigation allegedly linked to ISIS.
“The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It is necessary that Kash Patel be confirmed as soon as possible,” a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning.
Early Wednesday morning, chaos erupted on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year's revelers celebrated in the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of plowing a truck into crowds on the popular party street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police.
As details leaked to the public Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a news conference in which a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not was not linked to terrorism.
New Orleans attack: Search continues for Bourbon Street 'persons of interest' as State Ag promises death penalty
From left, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, Kash Patel and President-elect Donald Trump.
“We will take the lead in investigating this event. This is not a terrorist event,” Alethea Duncan, FBI assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, said during the press conference.
Read on the Fox News app
What we know about the victims of the New Orleans terrorist attack
The mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan at the same press conference, stating that the attack was linked to terrorism.
“Please be aware that the city of New Orleans has been hit by a terrorist attack. This is all still under investigation. You’ll hear more after me,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has held the position since 2018, told reporters.
The FBI released statements Wednesday emphasizing that the attack was now being investigated as a terrorist act, including reporting that an ISIS flag was found on the truck that crashed into the crowd .
“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” an FBI statement said.
Suspect identified as FBI investigates terrorism after Bourbon Street attack
“The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this matter as an act of terrorism. We are actively investigating all avenues to identify any possible associates of the subject,” the statement added.
Conservative lawmakers denounced the attack and mourned the victims, while also directing their anger at the FBI for its alleged failures in handling the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, criticized the FBI in a series of posts on X and again rallied support for Patel's confirmation as director of the FBI.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work at the scene on Bourbon Street after at least 10 people were killed when a person allegedly drove into a crowd early in the morning on New Year's Day, January 1, 2025 in New Orleans.
Officials postpone Sugar Bowl following apparent terrorist attack on Bourbon Street
“The tragic terrorist attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel in the FBI. » Blackburn published Wednesday.
Blackburn also disputed that the FBI went to the suspect's Texas home after the media had already staked out the property.
“The FBI did not show up at the suspect's NOLA address until 1 p.m. today. We were already there. No one came out of the house or answered the door,” New York Post reporter Jennie Taer told X on Wednesday.
Blackburn responded to the Post reporter, saying the FBI had “failed” in its mission as the nation's premier law enforcement agency.
“The fact that a reporter has better information than the FBI tells us everything we need to know.” The FBI has failed in its core mission,” Blackburn said.
Who is Kash Patel? Trump's pick to lead the FBI has a long history of promising to dismantle the 'deep state'
When contacted for comment on these criticisms, the FBI referred Fox Digital to its three previous statements on the attack, which described it as an act of terrorism, but did not comment on the fact that the agent of the News -Orléans said Wednesday that the attack was not linked to terrorism.
“This morning, an individual drove his car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing several people and injuring dozens more. The subject subsequently became involved with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this act of terrorism,” the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital.
Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 to January 2015, and he was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
Trump criticized President Biden and his administration's policies for the attack.
Trump's FBI pick Kash Patel should take these concrete steps to restore trust: former special agent
“With Biden's 'open borders policy,' I have repeatedly said at rallies and elsewhere that radical Islamic terrorism and other forms of violent crime will become so severe in America that it will become difficult to imagine it or believe it. That moment has come, but worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN AMERICA’S HISTORY, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Biden mourned the attack Wednesday, emphasizing that despite the violence, “our New Orleans will never, ever, ever be defeated.”
“New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world,” the president said. “It’s a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture and especially its people.
“So I know that even though this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never be defeated,” he added.
Original article source: 'When they fail, Americans die': Trump source blasts FBI, calls for quick confirmation of Kash Patel as director
Related News :