Probing possible link between Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, New Orleans attack: Biden

WASHINGTON (AA) – US authorities are investigating a potential link between a Cybertruck explosion at the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas and a pickup truck attack in New Orleans, President Joe Biden said Wednesday.

In an address from the White House, Biden confirmed that his administration is also monitoring the explosion outside the Trump hotel.

“Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans,” he said.

In New Orleans, a white F-150 pickup truck plowed through the heart of the French Quarter around 3.15 a.m. (0915GMT) Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30 others.

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates,” Alethea Duncan, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, told reporters at a press briefing.

“We cannot go into details about the subject’s history. What I can tell you is the person was an Army veteran. We believe he was honorably discharged, but we’re working through this process, figuring out all this information,” Duncan added.

Citing FBI officials who informed him, Biden said that Jabbar, hours before the attack, posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by the ISIS and expressed his 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 is in the preliminary stage,” said the president.

Biden said that law enforcement and the intelligence community are continuing to look for any connections, associations or co-conspirators in New Orleans attack, adding: “We have nothing additional to report at this time. The investigation is continuing to be active and no one should jump to conclusions.”

“I directed my team to make sure 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 is no remaining threat to the American people,” he added.

Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested a possible connection between the explosion in Las Vegas and the attack in New Orleans, with both vehicles reportedly rented via the Turo app.

“Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way,” Musk said on X.