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FBI: We Do Not Believe Suspect Was The Only One Responsible For Attack; FBI: Suspect In New Orleans Attack Was U.S. Army Veteran; Sugar Bowl Postposed Until Tomorrow In Wake Of New Orleans Attack; Tesla Cybertruck Explodes At The Entrance Of Trump Hotel In Vegas. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 01, 2025 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:21]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We are following breaking news out of New Orleans where we just got a big brand-new update from federal and local officials and I cannot overstate how many of them there were at this press conference lending their - some of them opinions, a lot of new facts that we learned as well on this deadly attack in the heart of the French Quarter.

So, here's what we now know, the FBI says it does not believe that the suspect who rammed into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street overnight acted alone and that officials are aggressively hunting down every lead including trying to find possible associates. Authorities have identified the attacker as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. They say he had an ISIS flag and several suspected explosive devices in the rented pickup truck that he used to plow down Bourbon Street. Also, that there were other explosive devices found around the French Quarter.

The incident unfolded just steps away from the Superdome, pardon me, where the Sugar Bowl college football game between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame was set for tonight. It has now been postponed 24 hours until tomorrow. We have CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez with us now. We also have former FBI agent Bryanna Fox along with retired NYPD detective and adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Michael Alcazar.

Evan, first to you because we're also learning that this 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar is an Army veteran who was honorably discharged.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. And part of the big question now for the FBI, not only finding any associates but trying to track when this person may have been radicalized. If this person was indeed, had allegiance to ISIS, how far back did that go and did anyone know this? Was this something that was visible perhaps when they were still in the U.S. military?

And, of course, those are big questions that the Pentagon is going to be working with the FBI to figure out. Big question though at this hour is they - we know that they're conducting some searches of other locations they are talking to and trying to find people who were associated with the suspect. We don't know how many other people they believe could have been involved in this, but clearly if you heard the language from the assistant special agent in charge there, Duncan, in New Orleans, she said that there are suspects that were now being investigated.

And so that's a big problem for the FBI, Brianna, because again we've had lone wolf incidents, right? And those are much harder for the FBI to find or to stop because if you keep just to yourself what you're planning to do, then it's much harder for the FBI to figure it out. Once you start involving other people, that's where the possibility lies for something to slip up.

And so, the idea that multiple people, perhaps two or more people, could have come up with this plan, did they place the additional explosives elsewhere in the corridor, which is what we understand is being done, right? They went and they detonated additional devices that were found. They ...

KEILAR: The police rendered - I think they detonated them, too.

PEREZ: Correct.

KEILAR: We don't believe they actually exploded on their own.

PEREZ: They did not.

KEILAR: Is that right?

PEREZ: They did not.

KEILAR: Okay.

PEREZ: Yes, they - the police went and detonated them to render them safe, to make sure that the crime scene could be investigated. So, all of that was happening in the last few hours. But the question is, who placed them there. Did the suspect, Jabbar - Din Jabbar, did he go and do this ahead of time or did accomplices do that, those are the big questions that the FBI is trying to run down.

And it's important also that we notice, you know, the FBI is saying they really need tips. They need people to send in video. They need people to see what - to say what they saw in any part of the corridor that could be helpful for this investigation, including, of course, additional suspects. They gave the address, fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack, also 1-800-CALL-FBI. They were asking for people to please reach out with information.

KEILAR: Yes, that was a plea that they made time and again.

All right, Bryanna, I want to ask you about this because there was so much in this press conference, but it really was pretty big that they're saying they do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. So that indicates a co-conspirator, at least, or co-conspirators. What did you think about learning that?

BRYANNA FOX, FORMER FBI AGENT: Yes. Well, thanks for having me, Brianna.

I was actually very surprised, especially because the FBI has incredible intelligence networks, and to be able to pick up on these kind of things.

[15:05:03]

As the saying goes, two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

Really, once something turns from a lone wolf into a multi-actor situation, it makes it a lot easier for law enforcement to pick up on these things. Now, easier doesn't mean easy, and I'm sure they're going to be scouring through, you know, digital records, communications, trying to see how this came to be.

There's always a pathway to radicalization, and then being able to track who that was shared with, how, you know, this planned attack came to be. I'm sure that's going to be exactly what the FBI is focusing on and certainly what will be their top priority, especially in light of the, you know, upcoming tourist events, which I'm sure they're thinking are going to be targeted in the next few days.

KEILAR: Yes, even as they are assuring people they aren't going to be, despite the fact that there is people of interest out - perhaps outstanding here, which raises a lot of questions.

Juliette Kayyem, you were watching this press conference. What did you think?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So, there's a couple of big takeaways, of course, as we're discussing that they have reason to believe that there was a co-conspirator while simultaneously believing that the city could move forward and certainly have the Sugar Bowl tomorrow night.

Big questions about the safety preparedness in terms of the changing of the security measures on the street because of upgrades and what that meant and whether the replacements were satisfactory enough. There are going to be lots of legitimate questions there, not to place blame simply to protect the city.

I will say finally, you called it freewheeling press conference. I don't think that's reflected very well on Louisiana and New Orleans. I mean, sort of attacking reporters, going after, you know, nebulous threats and the White House. It's just not - it's - what people have to remember is this is a city that's absolutely terrified about what happened. And they wanted, you know, they need and they deserve a common, unified narrative and not one that's confused or used as a subterfuge to either make political points or other points.

And I just found that whatever your politics are, I just found that very unfair to the people of New Orleans who are, you know, basically terrified right now. And to go after reporters as if questions are - you know, legitimate questions about safety and security are in somehow left or right is just - maybe we - I guess, I'd put it this way, we shouldn't get used to it. And we should demand of our public officials that they behave like public officials when people's life and security are - have been - have either ended or continue to be at risk.

KEILAR: Yes. Look, a lot of important questions that were asked that illuminated a lot and a lot of good information as well. But there was some extraneous stuff there that I think we could have done without.

I do want to ask you, Michael, I think something that stands out is we've all gotten used to, unfortunately, there being attacks and there being press conferences where you get information and it feels like things are completely over and now it's about just pulling threads. It doesn't feel like this is completely over because they don't believe that this person was solely responsible.

We learned during that press conference that actually the bodies of victims of those killed during this attack are still almost 12 hours later out there on Bourbon Street. They say they are working to get them removed, but they haven't been. They stressed repeatedly this is an active crime scene as they're still looking for these explosive devices, some of which they found in the French Quarter. What does that say to you about the process of where this investigation and the process of clearing the French Quarter is?

MICHAEL ALCAZAR, RETIRED NYPD DETECTIVE: This is a huge crime scene that they're processing. Yes, I've heard reports that bodies were still on the scene. So that moving in - there could be the potential that there could have been a terrorist as part of the crime scene. Maybe he - the - a terrorist is on the scene and they're trying to ascertain that.

Maybe the police did a good job in perhaps stopping terrorists from entering Bourbon Street, right? Maybe that's why perhaps this terrorist decided to drive in with his truck, with these - all these IEDs. Maybe they were trying to plant that all on the scene and they failed, which brings the question that maybe security was compromised on the scene.

Regardless, it's a big crime scene. There's a lot to process. I don't think they could process it in a day. I don't think they could process it tomorrow.

[15:10:01]

I think delaying the game a day is not enough. And like your previous guest said, I think it was very unprofessional that they attack the media. They're deflecting. The terrorists did their job, right? They succeeded. They created terror and they created mayhem and they killed 10 people.

Your job as public officials and law enforcement is to prevent this, is to harden the target, right? To prevent - to provide security and they failed terribly. So, a lot of questions need to be answered and a lot more investigation will be unfolded.

KEILAR: Yes. And as we look at this, Bryanna, I mean, what is clear - and the governor made a point where he said this was someone basically motivated to injure and kill people. And there were many places they could have done that, certainly in New Orleans where there's lots of people. But at the same time, there was a attempt that now there's questions about whether it was kind of half-hearted to restrict entrance into the French Quarter because this truck, and not a small one, drove around a police vehicle to get in. What questions do you have about that access and the difference that could have made?

FOX: Yes. I had the exact same question that the last reporter at the press conference had asked. I thought that was spot on about how was the target hardening. If we know that there is a massive influx of people on Bourbon Street on New Orleans - excuse me, on New Year's. We would want to make sure that they are protected and safe. That would be a high-risk target for someone to try to do something exactly like what they did.

So, I think that was a spot-on question, and I think the questions that will come are, you know, did law enforcement, city council, the people that knew about the bollards being inoperable, was that sufficient or should the citizens really have expected better? Especially moving forward when there's going to be an influx and millions of people coming back to New Orleans, they want to make sure they feel safe and that these kind of attacks could be prevented.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly.

And Juliette, this question of the Sugar Bowl proceeding tomorrow and having now spoken with officials from New Orleans, having watched that press conference, it's very clear that there is an effort to assure people that New Orleans, when it comes to having tourist events, New Orleans, when it comes to having this specific tourist event, the Sugar Bowl now postponed a day that things are safe. But what would you say to people? What would you say to a loved one who was planning to attend today and now it's moved to tomorrow?

KAYYEM: So - and I just had a piece posted on this in The Atlantic about how can cities judge reopening? It's a very difficult thing from Boston, where I am in the Boston Marathon, shutting down. You know, what are your standards of safety? So, here's some things that I think the press conference really need - I think we need to hear from them again.

How can they make assurances that the public is no longer under a specific threat? There's always going to be general threats. We know that. We live in a world like that. But that, you know, if there is a co-conspirator, how do we know that the city is still safe?

The second is what kind of changes are they making to the security planning for the Sugar Bowl? There's lots of talk about the Super Bowl. No one cares about the Super Bowl right now. You've got lots of people in town about the Sugar Bowl. What are they doing to fortify and change vehicle traffic to the Sugar Bowl so that people will not only be safe, but also feel safe? That's very, very important. And third, if they decide to postpone it again, what are their standards for when they will have it? In other words, when is enough time? I think it's important for cities to know that. We've seen European and U.S. cities shut down after terror or gun incidences with no standards for how to reopen up.

I think you give - my personal feeling is I think you give the terrorists too much leverage over cities if you say, well, we're going to close down until we feel safe. And this is a challenge, there's no perfect answer, but those are the three things I'm looking at. The city's got to come back to us and say, you know, how can - it seems inconsistent to the average person that one, you're saying there's at least one co-conspirator, but also that the city's safe. There may be ways to answer that, but there's - it's totally legitimate for us to ask that question. I'm not quite sure why so many people got angry about that question being asked. That's the hundred thousand question right now, so that they can move forward.

I think they should move forward. I think the city has a capacity to pivot for the game to be tomorrow night. They can supplement resources through the state. The governor is clearly supportive of that because I don't like the idea of terrorists closing down cities indefinitely.

KEILAR: Yes.

KAYYEM: I just don't like that idea.

KEILAR: No, that's a very good point.

[15:15:05]

But to these officials, if you are getting the same question over and over, perhaps you could - should consider you may not be answering it fulsomely, and that's why it's being asked.

Thank you to all of you, Michael, Bryanna, Juliet, really appreciate your insights here at this critical time.

We're going to have much more in our breaking news. We just learned from the FBI, they do not believe that the person driving that truck and who shot in the French Quarter overnight was solely responsible for this attack. It raises a lot of questions and we're going to be right back with more.

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[15:19:53]

KEILAR: Back now to our breaking news, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed 24 until tomorrow. This was a game that was supposed to kick off just a few hours from now at the Superdome there in New Orleans just blocks, though, away from that deadly attack that happened overnight.

We have CNN Sports Anchor Andy Scholes with us now on this.

Andy, what's the latest that you're learning?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Brianna, obviously safety, you know, is the number one priority there in New Orleans. And that's one of the big reasons why they decided to postpone this game 24 hours. The superintendent of police in New Orleans says, you know, they're continuing to scour the entire area around the Superdome for anything suspicious. They've got bomb dogs out there just sweeping the area and inside the Superdome ahead of the game now tomorrow as they try to just make sure the entire area is secure.

But postponing a game like this, I mean, that is a pretty big deal. It's something that we don't see happen very often. Here was Sugar Bowl CEO, Jeff Hundley, on the decision to move the game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF HUNDLEY, CEO, SUGAR BOWL GAME: We have been in consultation with ESPN, with the college football playoff, with the Southeastern Conference, with the University of Georgia, with Notre Dame, all parties and all agree that it's in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours. Work is fast about to set up a safe, and efficient and fun environment for tomorrow night.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): I think the Mayor and the Governor are very wise to postpone this ballgame for 24 hours. There's just too much stuff we don't know and it's just not worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes. You have more than 80,000 fans there, you know, in the French Quarter, most of them walking down Poydras Street to go to the Superdome. So, they want to make sure that area is secure. And we're still learning more, you know, about the people that were injured in the incident.

Brianna, you know, both Georgia and Notre Dame, they put out statements saying that their traveling parties, the, you know, the players, the band, any of the team personnel, they were all safe. But Georgia did release a statement saying that they are aware that one of their students was injured in the attack and that he is in critical condition, receiving medical treatment. So, you know, our thoughts and prayers are certainly with that student.

And, you know, definitely, definitely tough to play a game on a day like this, especially with the news like that of a student being injured.

KEILAR: Yes. Horrific news of that. The city of New Orleans reeling - the Georgia community there reeling as well. Andy Scholes, thank you for the latest.

We're also following some breaking news out of Las Vegas, which is where police are investigating an incident outside of the Trump International Hotel there. We have CNN's Veronica Miracle following this story. KEILAR: Veronica, tell us what you're learning here.

VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, given what's happened in New Orleans, police and investigators, they're very concerned about this. One person has died and seven people have minor injuries from this explosion that happened right at the entrance of Trump Tower in Las Vegas.

We just heard from the Las Vegas sheriff who went in detail about what exactly happened, so take a listen really quick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF KEVIN MCMAHILL, LAS VEGAS METROPOLICAN POLICE: At 8:40 AM Las Vegas time, we received the report of an explosion and a fire at the Trump Towers, the iconic hotel that you see behind me. We were told that a 2024 Cybertruck pulled up to the front of the hotel. And in fact, I can tell you, it pulled right up to the glass entrance doors of the hotel. We saw that smoke start showing from the vehicle and then a large explosion from the truck occurs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MIRACLE: Now, the sheriff was quick to say that they do not believe that there's any further threat to the community, but also did mention they are, of course, looking into many different leads. They still have many questions that still are unanswered. They don't know exactly why this exploded. If it was an issue with the car, they said that that car started smoking before it exploded. They don't know if it was an explosion because of other nefarious reasons.

So, they're looking into it, but they believe at this time that there's no further threat to the community. CNN has reached out to Tesla for comment. We have not yet heard back. And President-elect Trump's son, Eric Trump, did tweet out extending gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and the local law enforcement for their quick response in making sure that the hotel was okay and those who were injured were quickly cared for. Back to you, Brianna.

KEILAR: And Veronica, just to be clear, the person who is dead was inside of the cyber truck?

MIRACLE: That's right. It's the driver. They have not yet identified the driver, whether it was a man or a woman. But they said the driver of the cyber truck is the one who perished in this explosion. Brianna.

KEILAR: All right. Veronica Miracle, Thank you for that.

Coming up here on CNN News Central, we have much more on what happened in New Orleans. The FBI is investigating this is an act of terrorism.

[15:25:04]

A truck plowing through a crowd in the French Quarter overnight, killing at least 10, injuring dozens. We're going to be joined by a Louisiana congressman who represents the city. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:29:38]

KEILAR: Louisiana congressman, Troy Carter, who is also a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, was at today's - what was really an extraordinary press conference there in New Orleans. He promised to hunt down any and everybody connected to this morning's deadly attack in New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TROY CARTER (D-LA): Let it be clear that the full faith and credit of the United States and every agency therein is on the ground, working.

[15:30:05]