New Orleans officials have uncovered ‘bomb-making supplies’ in an Airbnb connected to the suspect behind the New Year’s Day terrorism.
The investigation took place on Mandeville Street in Marigny as federal, state and local law enforcement swarmed the area looking for ties to accused Bourbon Street attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who allegedly caused 15 deaths and injured more than 30 individuals.
The inquiry started after a minor conflagration around 5.30am in the presumed rental hideout. Following the fire, bomb-detecting canines were escorted in by fire gurus, having evacuated neighboring homes.
Investigators have proposed the theory that Jabbar prepared the IED explosives, choosing a nearby property as his base. Photographs showed the FBI removing bomb-making materials from the two-bedroom and two-bathroom residence. “They said they found bomb-making material in the yellow house and wanted the bomb squad to look it over,” neighbor Bob Koenig commented. A containment vessel was seen being taken from the property at around 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day. The vicinity of the Airbnb on Mandeville Street remains cordoned off while detectives gather evidence.
The suspect uploaded videos on social media mere hours before the attack with intent to kill
Authorities have not announced when the area will be reopened to the public. FBI agents discovered an Islamic State group flag inside Jabbar’s damaged white Ford pickup. The bureau is probing the Army veteran’s background for any “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.”
NOPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick revealed that the truck driver plowed into the crowd early in the morning. The vehicle covered three blocks before smashing into a lift vehicle by Conti Street. “He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” the police chief declared. The FBI has reported that bomb squad technicians have been deployed to the French Quarter, which is under scrutiny for possible additional explosives.
City Council members have indicated that a series of small explosions heard blocks away were controlled detonations used to neutralize potential IEDs. Several hotels in the French Quarter have been evacuated as a safety measure, and an eight-block stretch of Bourbon Street remains closed to both vehicles and pedestrians.
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