MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Possible connection” between New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks under probe

The FBI will be involved in both cases, it was explained

US President Joseph Biden said in a broadcast message late Wednesday that federal law enforcement officers would handle both the attack that left at least 15 dead in New Orleans and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Tower in Las Vegas to find out whether both incidents are linked. He also warned against drawing premature conclusions.

“We’re tracking the explosion of a cyber truck 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,” Biden explained. “Thus far, there’s nothing to report on that score,” he added.

“I’ve directed my team to make sure every resource is made available to federal, state, and local law enforcement to complete the investigation quickly and to ensure there is no remaining threat to the American people,” the president also noted.

In offering his condolences to the victims and their families, Biden noted that “our nation grieves with you.”

Sleuths are yet to find out whether Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US Army veteran, who rammed the crowd on Bourbon Street killing 15 people and injuring dozens before being gunned down by Police, acted alone or not. An ISIS flag, weapons, and a suspected improvised explosive device were discovered in the vehicle, leading authorities to classify the event as an act of terrorism. Jabbar was allegedly staying at an Airbnb accommodation that burned down earlier Wednesday, about a mile and a half away from the attacks.

In Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck rented from the same company as Jabbar's Ford pickup truck, exploded outside the Trump Hotel, killing the driver and injuring seven bystanders. The vehicle was apparently loaded with fireworks or an explosive device. It is yet to be determined whether the deceased driver of the Cybertruck intended to set off the explosives.

“The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk pointed out on X early Thursday. The Cybertruck was reportedly carrying a haul of “fireworks-style mortars,” ABC reported.

The Turo app is a car rental marketplace that allows users to rent cars from “trusted hosts” across the United States, Canada, Australia, and France, according to the gadget's description on Google Play. The app claims to be the “world's largest car-sharing marketplace,” allowing people to “skip the rental car counter” and instead “choose from an extraordinary selection of vehicles shared by local hosts and rent the best car for your trip, then you can pick it up at a convenient location near you or your destination.”