Bomb-making materials were found at a New Orleans Airbnb, which is being investigated as a possible connection to the truck-ramming terror attack that killed at least 15 people and injured over 30 others on Bourbon Street during a New Year’s celebration.
A small fire broke out at the suspected Airbnb property located in the 1300 block of Mandeville Street in the St. Roch neighborhood of New Orleans around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The New Orleans Fire Department evacuated dozens of people from nearby homes and contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bomb-making materials were discovered at the property, sources confirmed to FOX 8. The FBI confirmed at a news conference that FBI and ATF agents have secured the house on Mandeville Street and are searching for potential evidence.
Two laptops were recovered from the address, and an additional three cell phones linked to the now-deceased suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, are being analyzed by investigators. The ATF said that the Mandeville address is still being processed and the ATF national response team is still working additional leads to help identify how the fire started.
The FBI has identified Jabbar as the suspect in the attack and is investigating the matter as an “act of terrorism.” Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a Ford pick-up truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time New Year’s Day, and then exited the vehicle and fired on law enforcement, who returned fire.
An ISIS flag, weapons, and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle, and other potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter. The FBI initially suspected accomplices could be involved, but now believes Jabbar acted alone.
The FBI denied any link to the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas that took place Wednesday morning, which killed the driver and sole occupant inside and injured at least seven others nearby.