President Joe Biden spoke to the American people Wednesday at a short press briefing on the horrific terror attack in New Orleans, where the death toll has been raised to 15 in the vehicle based attack that also left the suspect dead after a firefight with authorities.
“I know I can speak for all Americans when I say our hearts are with the people of New Orleans after the despicable attack that occurred in the early morning hours,” said Biden in his remarks delivered from Camp David.
Authorities found an ISIS flag in the vehicle that the suspect drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day, and the president told reporters Wednesday night that the FBI has informed him that suspect, Texas resident and U.S. citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar, posted video on social media before the attack.
“The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill,” Biden said. “The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack. Possible explosives were found in the vehicle as well, and more explosives were found nearby. The situation is very fluid and the investigation as a preliminary stage
Below are his remarks as transcribed.
I know I can speak for all Americans when I say our hearts are with the people of New Orleans after the despicable attack that occurred in the early morning hours. To all the families of those who were killed. To all those who were injured. To all the people of New Orleans: we’re grieving today. I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you. We’re going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal in the weeks to come.
We want to thank our very first responders and law enforcement personnel who stopped the attacker in his tracks before he could kill or injure even more people. I want to thank you to everyone at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, including the FBI, for working nonstop to investigate this heinous act. The FBI’s leading the investigation to determine what happened, why it happened, whether there was any continuing threat to public safety.
Here’s what we know so far. The FBI has reported to me the killer was an American citizen born in Texas. He served in the United States Army on active duty for many years. He also served in the Army Reserve until a few years ago.
The FBI also reported to me that mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill, desire to kill.
The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack. Possible explosives were found in the vehicle as well, and more explosives were found nearby. The situation is very fluid and the investigation as a preliminary stage.
And the fact is that right now, excuse me, there you go.
The law enforcement intelligence community are continuing to look for any connections, associations, or co-conspirators. We have nothing additional to report at this time. The investigation is continuing to be active and no one should jump to conclusions.
I’ve directed my Attorney General, the FBI director, the Secretary of Homeland security, head of National Counterintelligence Terrorism Center, and the intelligence community to work on this intensively until we have a full and complete information. And once we have that information, I will share that information as soon as I, we can confirm it.
Additionally, we’re tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans. Thus far, there’s nothing to report on that score at this time.
I’ve directed my team to make sure every resource, every resource is made available to federal, state, and local law enforcement to complete the investigation in New Orleans quickly and to make sure there’s no remaining threat to the American people.
We will we will support the people in New Orleans as they begin the hard work of healing. New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world. 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. May God bless the people of New Orleans.
May God bless our police and our first responders. May God protect our troops and we’ll keep you fully, contemporaneously informed. Thank you.
