Jabbar planted two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, on Bourbon Street, as revealed by Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, during a briefing on Thursday. Raia stated that the devices, discovered in coolers, were active at the time but were successfully neutralized by law enforcement. According to a source familiar with the investigation speaking to CBS News, the devices were basic pipe bombs filled with shrapnel such as nails, screws, and tacks.
Reports indicated that Jabbar was equipped with body armor during the attack, as confirmed by two sources familiar with the probe. Additionally, he was found to be carrying two weapons, described by law enforcement sources as an AR-15 style firearm and a handgun. Investigators proceeded to search the New Orleans Airbnb where Jabbar had been staying and conducted a controlled detonation of materials deemed suspicious at the property on Wednesday afternoon. The Airbnb location experienced a fire on Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, the House Homeland Security Committee and various members of Congress were briefed by the FBI on the ongoing investigation. The FBI communicated that there was no evidence to suggest Jabbar had accomplices or was acting under the direction of a foreign entity or terrorist organization. However, it was noted that the attack was motivated by ISIS, as relayed by a committee aide to CBS News.
The FBI disclosed that Jabbar had uploaded videos expressing support for ISIS shortly before the fatal incident, as well as displaying an ISIS flag on the trailer hitch of his vehicle. Federal agencies issued a bulletin overnight on Friday highlighting that ISIS endorsed a tactic involving vehicle ramming attacks followed by the use of secondary weapons like explosives, cautioning against potential “copycat or retaliatory” attacks.
In a separate incident, three individuals lost their lives in Hawaii due to an explosion triggered by an unauthorized fireworks display. Furthermore, Mike Johnson addressed the House of Representatives after securing the speaker position, and Hakeem Jeffries outlined the Democrats’ priorities following Johnson’s victory in the House speaker vote.
