FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security have warned of the potential threat of new attacks in the country from “copycat” attacks in New Orleans, where a car drove into a crowd of people, ABC News reported, citing sources.
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The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies of potential copycats attempting to replicate this week’s horrific ramming and shooting attack in New Orleans.
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Sources told the station that the bulletin was sent out as a precautionary measure to alert law enforcement agencies across the country to any activity indicating the use of vehicles for mass killings. According to ABC News, the bulletin outlines signs of impending attacks, including the use of false documents, taking out loans to lease vehicles and potential attackers pre-scanning the area where an attack could occur.
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In addition, according to the channel’s sources, in recent months the Islamic State, which was probably inspired by the attacker, is increasingly calling on its supporters to carry out attacks with deliberate attacks on people.
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The FBI previously confirmed that on Wednesday around 3:15 New Orleans time, a truck drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the city’s historic downtown, killing 15 people and injuring 35 others. The suspect opened fire on the police, killing two. He was eliminated by return fire.
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As the FBI reported, the suspect in the terrorist attack in New Orleans is 42-year-old US citizen from Texas Shamsud-Din Jabbar, in the car in which he carried out the attack, symbols of the ISIS group were found.
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Also on Wednesday, Las Vegas police said they were investigating a car fire at Trump Towers after video of a Tesla Cybertruck on fire went viral. According to local authorities, one person died in the fire and seven others were injured. An FBI spokesman at the briefing did not call the incident a potential terrorist attack. However, the ABC television channel, citing sources, reported that law enforcement officers do not rule out such a version.
