New Orleans attack ‘could be linked’ to Cybertruck explosion - as police probe military connection
2 January 2025, 09:00 | Updated: 2 January 2025, 15:40
Police investigating a New Year's Day attack in New Orleans are investigating a bombshell link to a Las Vegas attack involving a Tesla Cybertruck that took place hours later.
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US authorities have discovered connections linking the two incidents, according to US media, with investigators focussing on a military link.
At least 15 people died and 35 more were injured in the New Orleans attack, which saw the driver plough into a crowd of revellers near Bourbon Street, in the French Quarter, at around 3.15am local time on New Year's Day.
Police identified 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas and a US army veteran, as the prime suspect in the case.
Hours later, a Cybertruck was seen to explode outside Trump's Las Vegas hotel killing the driver and leaving seven others with minor injuries.
Law enforcement officers are treating the incident as an act of terror, raiding the home of a 37-year-old man from Colorado Springs on Wednesday night local time.
Officers involved in the fast-moving investigations have now discovered the Tesla truck used in the attack was rented through a car hire app named Turo - the same one used to rent the pickup truck used in the New Orleans attack, according to The Post.
It comes as reports suggest the man responsible for the Cybertruck explosion served at the same military base as the New Orleans terrorist, according to reports.
“That’s another coincidence that absolutely … we have to continue to look into,” McMahill said of Turo being used to rent the vehicles in both incidents.
“We are absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world,” Mr McMahill added. “We are not ruling anything out.”
Both suspects are believed to have a military background, according to local media.
Read more: Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump's Vegas hotel in 'terror attack'
It is also reported that local residents at a Colorado housing complex linked to the Cybertruck suspect were led away on Wednesday night ahead of a police raid.
Hours after revellers celebrated the clock striking midnight in New Orleans, a truck allegedly driven by Jabbar, drove into a crowd of revellers before stepping out of the car and opening fire on bystanders.
Jabbar was in a rented Ford pickup truck, believed to have been hired using the Turo app according to reports.
An ISIS flag found inside the vehicle, the FBI confirmed, adding the suspect had died following a shoot-out with police.
Authorities confirmed Jabbar is not believed to be "solely responsible" for the attack.
"We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates," FBI assistant special agent in charge Alethea Duncan said.
Two improvised explosive devices were found at the scene, with the attack being investigated as a terrorist incident. A handgun and an AR-style rifle were recovered from the scene.
A senior police officer said it was "very intentional" and the perpetrator was "hell-bent" on creating "carnage". Some 300 police officers were at the scene during the attack, with two having been shot.
Cybertruck blew up in front of Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Those are our luggage by the door and that’s where we were when it happened. pic.twitter.com/KaVZXfGLNK
— ayackle (@kaaaassuu) January 1, 2025
Just hours after the attack, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Donald Trump's hotel in Las Vegas.
It is being investigated as a potential terror attack, with one person having been killed and seven injured.
In a press conference, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said the car had arrived in Las Vegas at 7.30am. The explosion took place shortly after at around 8.40am in the valet area in front of the building.
Officers were seen to raid the home of the unnamed 37-year-old on Wednesday night (US time), with officers wearing tactical gear and arriving at the Colorado Springs property in armoured vehicles, according to the
Elon Musk confirmed in a post on X that the explosion was caused by "very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself".
“Cybertruck is the worst possible choice for a car bomb, as its stainless steel armor will contain the blast better than any other commercial vehicle,” he added on X.
"I know you have a lot of questions," Jeremy Schwartz, acting FBI special agent in charge for the Las Vegas office, said.
"We don't have a lot of answers."
Musk said earlier on Wednesday: "The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now."
Some of the victims from the New Orleans attack have been identified by family and friends, including a young mother, a former college football player and a father-of-two.
Tiger Bech's mother, Michelle, told ABC her son was "on top of the world".
He had visited Louisiana for a long weekend with his college friends from Princeton.
Ni'kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, went to Bourbon Street with friends to celebrate the New Year, her mother said.
She ran into the path of the speeding truck after hearing gunfire.
Nicole Perez, 27, was also confirmed to have been hit by the truck while out with her friends.
Her employer and family spokesperson, Kimberly Usher-Fall, described her as "a great mother".
Meanwhile, Reggie Hunter, 37, was confirmed to have died by his cousin.
The father-of-two was remembered as the "life of the party" with a big heart.
A statement from New Orleans Coroner Dr Dwight McKenna on Wednesday confirmed that the death toll is now at least 15.
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that unfolded in the French Quarter," he said.
"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims, their families, and everyone affected."
Eyewitnesses who were on Bourbon Street at the time of the attack told of their hair-raising near miss on Wednesday.
NPR reporter Drew Hawkins, who spoke to them, told LBC's Shelagh Fogarty: “The way they described it is they were walking down Bourbon Street, it was just after 3 in the morning, and they heard what sounded like crashing sounds behind them.
"They turn around and a white pickup truck speeding down the roads around the barricades and they actually managed to jump out of the way into an alcove - just in time for the truck to zoom by and miss them."
Videos reportedly taken from the scene show multiple people on the ground. Gunfire can be heard in the background, with people seen running away.
Large crowds were expected in the southern US city for New Year's celebrations and for a highly anticipated college football game.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said he was "praying for all the victims and first responders on scene".
He added: "A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning.
"Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area."
Eyewitness Nicole Mowrer said: "We were pretty, pretty close to where it started.
She added: "Once it was past us, we did hear gunfire, saw police running that direction.
"Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of — several people who had been hit, [we] wanted to see what we could do to help."
President Joe Biden said that he was being "continually briefed" on updates following the incident.
Addressing the people of New Orleans on Wednesday evening, he said: "We're going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal in the weeks to come.
"We want to thank our brave responders and law enforcement personnel who stopped the attacker in his tracks before he killed or injured even more people."
He said he had directed his team to make sure "every resource is available" for authorities to complete an investigation quickly.
"New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world," he 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 above all, its people.
"So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated.
"It always will shine forth. We've seen that time and time again throughout its history, and I know we'll see it again in the days and weeks ahead."
On Truth Social, Donald Trump said: "When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true.
"The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before.
"Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.
"The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!"
