At a feverish pace, American prosecutors are continuing their search for the Islamist attacker who carried out the deadly attack with a white electric pickup in New Orleans. As the FBI announced, the New Year’s Eve attack was carried out by 42-year-old former soldier and Afghanistan veteran Samsud-Din Jabbar.

“According to the findings so far by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the attacker had posted videos on social media just hours before the attack,” President John Biden said in a brief speech from his residence at Camp David: “The FBI reported that the killer was an American citizen, born in Texas. He served for many years in the United States Army, including as a reservist until relatively recently. The FBI also said that in the videos the attacker posted, he appears inspired by the Islamic State, even expressing a desire to kill. The prosecuting authorities found a flag of the jihadist militia on the vehicle of the attack.”

The gunman drove his rented pickup truck into revelers in New Orleans’ popular French Quarter around 3:15 a.m., killing at least 15 people and injuring many more. According to the FBI, the attacker was later killed in a shootout with police.

Link to Las Vegas Cybertruck Explosion?

The American authorities characterize the crime of the 42-year-old ex-military as a terrorist attack. According to Chief Constable Anne Kirkpatrick, the attacker’s aim was to “kill as many people as possible” and cause a “bloodbath”. His possible ties to Islamist organizations are now at the center of investigations. The authorities, however, take for granted that Jabbar did not act alone.

The 42-year-old had rented the white electric pickup through popular car rental app Turo. The Tesla Cybertruck, which exploded yesterday in Las Vegas in front of a hotel owned by the president-elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was also rented through this application. US authorities say the driver of the vehicle was killed and seven people were slightly injured. President Biden said, however, that the investigation into the incident in Las Vegas is also focusing on possible connections with the deadly attack in New Orleans.

dpa, Reuters