New Orleans Horror: FBI Makes Chilling Discovery in Airbnb Rented by Terrorist Suspect Before Killing 14 People in New Year's Attack As Authorities Investigate Ties to ISIS
Authorities are investigating a link between the Bourbon Street attack and a nearby Airbnb.
Jan. 2 2025, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Authorities are investigating a possible link between the New Orleans terrorist attack and a nearby Airbnb.
At least 14 people were killed, and dozens more injured, after a man with suspected ties to ISIS plowed through a crowd gathered on Bourbon Street to welcome in the new year, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Parts of the French Quarter are blocked off for the investigation following the New Year's Eve attack.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement agents said they found bomb-making materials inside an Airbnb rental just a few blocks from the scene of devastation.
A small fire early Tuesday morning led to evacuations of nearby homes, as bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the area. Neighbors said the mad rush of officials was chilling.
Bob Koenig, a resident there, told WVUE: "They said they found bomb-making material in the yellow house and wanted the bomb squad to look it over."
Another neighbor added: "It’s absolute insanity."
Police say the street will reopen Thursday.
A three-block area surrounding the Airbnb on Mandeville Street was closed off as investigators continued to collect evidence.
Locals in the area said they are justifiably shaken by the events: "I think it’s crazy. People are frustrated, their mind is gone, and they want to take it out on innocent people."
Investigators say the college football playoff game will still be held despite the incident.
Authorities say Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck with an ISIS flag tied to the back into a crowd of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street, killing at least 14 and injuring many others. Jabbar later died in a fiery shootout with police.
Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, told reporters: "We know that he specifically picked out Bourbon Street, not sure why."
He added: "He was 100 percent inspired by ISIS."
FBI officials said Jabbar posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he aligned himself with the terrorist organization. He said he had joined the militant group last summer.
FBI and ATF agents swarm a residence that suspect Shamsud-din Jabbar stayed in while in New Orleans Louisiana prior to the Bourbon Street terrorist attack on New Year's Day
With the investigation continuing, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Bourbon Street will be reopened before the Sugar Bowl college football game Thursday afternoon.
The game, a playoff matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the University of Georgia Bulldogs, was rescheduled after being postponed following the attack.
Cantrell said: "The city of New Orleans, we’re resilient. The confidence is there to reopen Bourbon Street to the public before game time today."
She clarified: "The FBI was able to clear Bourbon Street and what that meant also for me and this city is that we were able to remove our victims, identify them, and notify their families. Real reverence. They mattered. The families matter and matter to the city of New Orleans."
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A Cybertruck explosion now looks to be a separate incident.
Meanwhile, the FBI has revealed after looking for connections, there is no known link between the New Orleans attack and a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas.
However, RadarOnline.com has learned Matthew Livelsberger, who died in the explosion outside the hotel on Wednesday, had once been stationed at the same military base as Jabbar.
Livelsberger served over 19 years in the Army, including 18 years with Special Forces.
His most recent role was a Remote and Autonomous Systems Manager, a position he held for three months, according to LinkedIn.
