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CNN's Breaking News Coverage on Twin New Year's Day Attacks in the United States. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired January 02, 2025 - 03:00   ET

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

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This is CNN Breaking News

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and everyone that's streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Christina Macfarlane. And we begin with breaking news in two separate New Year's Day attacks in the U.S.

President Joe Biden says investigators are looking into whether there is any possible link between a ramming attack that killed dozens of people in New Orleans and a Tesla truck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Multiple law enforcement sources tell CNN the suspects in both incidents had military backgrounds.

But first to New Orleans where the FBI is investigating the ramming attack in the historic French Quarter as an act of terrorism. Police say at least 15 people were killed when the suspect drove his truck down Bourbon Street at high rate of speed at about 3 A.M. local time.

He's been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and army veteran. They say he made recordings on the drive from Texas to Louisiana about joining ISIS and killing his family. We should warn viewers much of the video from the scene is graphic.

Police say they found an ISIS flag on Jabbar's truck along with improvised explosive devices which they believe were made at an Airbnb rental. According to the FBI, searches are underway in multiple states in connection with Jabbar.

A video shows the white Ford F-150 making a sharp right turn onto Bourbon Street past police barricades and onto the sidewalk. The driver continued down the street for several blocks mowing down pedestrians.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

MACFARLANE: Well, two officers were wounded in the shootout that killed the suspect and more than 30 people were injured in the ramming attack. Authorities say they do not believe Jabbar acted alone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIZ MURRILL, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: We also have some people who are fighting for their lives right now in the hospital. This was a heinous act, a heinous cowardly act and we will find them and we will bring them to justice.

REP. TROY CARTER (D-LA): Now, the entire French Quarter particularly Bourbon Street is an active crime scene. We have federal, local and state officials who are embedded in this community looking for additional evidence, looking to make sure that there's no IEDs.

We know that there were at least two that were found and detonated without incident and now what we have is a complete use of every resource.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: More now on the ongoing investigation and fallout from the attack from CNN's Omar Jimenez in New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sudden terror on Bourbon Street.

KIMBERLY STRICKLIN, WITNESS: There were just bodies and the screams. You cannot think about, you know, unhear that. It was chaos and very, very scary.

UNKNOWN: Everything in the car is hitting, it's getting thrown.

UNKNOWN: A vehicle ran through a crowd. There's multiple, multiple casualties. They need you at Canal in Bourbon.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Just hours after the clock struck midnight, the driver and a pickup truck went around barricades, according to police, killing those celebrating New Year's Eve along the iconic street. At least 15 people were killed, dozens others injured.

ANNE E. KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old man from Texas who previously served in the U.S. military. He was allegedly driving a privately rented pickup truck from Turo, an Airbnb-type rental site for cars.

ALTHEA DUNCAN, FBI ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: An ISIS flag was located on the trailer hitch of the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Once the vehicle stopped, the driver reportedly opened fire on responding police officers.

DUNCAN: Law enforcement returned fire and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to local hospitals.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Witnesses are asking questions about why the city's steel mechanical barricades weren't up prior to the attack.

[03:05:04]

UNKNOWN: There was police there at the entrance, a lot of police there, but the metal barricades were not up.

UNKNOWN: Bollards were not up because they are near completion.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): The FBI, which has taken over the investigation, does not believe the suspect acted alone.

UNKNOWN: We're aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): And the Sugar Bowl for college football, scheduled to be held in New Orleans this evening, has been postponed.

UNKNOWN: All agree that it's in the best interests of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Omar Jimenez, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, as we mentioned, the suspect in the New Orleans attack was a U.S. Army veteran. Shamsud-Din Jabbar served as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist on active duty from 2007 to 2015, deploying for nearly a year to Afghanistan.

Jabbar served in the Army Reserve until 2020, and in a video posted on YouTube that same year, Jabbar described himself as a professional real estate agent based in Houston, Texas.

Well, joining me here in London, CNN international diplomatic editor, our Nic Robertson. So Nic, as this story continues to develop, let's look at some of the key facts flagged here by the authorities and the investigators.

First, perhaps to the motivation we were hearing there, that obviously there was an ISIS flag found on the truck. The FBI have indicated that this was an individual who was inspired by ISIS. What more are we learning about his potential links to that terror organization?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's not clear because the police aren't saying, but what we're seeing that they're doing, and the FBI has taken over the investigation, is talking to and targeting, for questioning, known associates, and addresses where he's lived, places that he's rented.

A place that he'd rented in New Orleans, which have been used apparently to make some of the makeshift bombs, IEDs, that were found around the area. They will be looking, obviously, at his, you know, who he's been talking to on the phone recently, what his electronic footprint was in terms of social media presence, but particularly, perhaps, what he's been -- what he's been searching for on the internet.

So, all of these things the police will be doing, and we're seeing that they're doing some of them. Obviously, some of those events are happening, and the FBI and the police are not talking publicly about it yet.

MACFARLANE: But they have said that they believe the driver did not act alone, which would infer that he had accomplices, I suppose. What evidence would they be drawing that from? And when it comes to accomplices, I mean, are we talking about online accomplices, you know, people in real life? What's the spectrum here?

ROBERTSON: The spectrum is, was he sharing that rented property with somebody in New Orleans? Did he rent the vehicle with the help of somebody else? Did he have housemates in the house that he was living in in Texas? And who had he been in contact with? So, these could be very physical people in proximity to him.

Look, the number one concern for the authorities at the moment is going to be, is there going to be another follow-on attack? Are other associates about to perpetrate another attack? That's the primary thing.

And then it will be getting to that network of people that he may have been associated with electronically over the internet that might have provided inspiration, that might have helped provide motivation, that might have pushed him along this particular path.

Because he is somebody, and this is again something the police will look at, who until a couple of years ago seemed to be a quiet, respected professional -- business professional. Then his life starts to fall apart. His running up debt, he says. His marriage -- his second marriage is on the verge or going through a divorce.

So, there are these emotional burdens and pressures on him. And those sorts of pressures are the sorts of pressures that can turn somebody from being what appears to be a normal citizen into acting in a completely terroristic and irrational manner, as is done now.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and perhaps indicative of his emotional state were those recordings that we mentioned there, you know, that he apparently made on the drive from Texas to Louisiana about joining ISIS, about killing his family, gives an idea as to his mental state.

There are, when it comes to the attack itself, still outstanding questions about the security in the French Quarter. We know that the security barriers on the scene were apparently being upgraded at the time due to the Super Bowl, which is due to be held there the following month. I mean, were there security failures here?

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ROBERTSON: Look, I think the analysis on that is really ongoing. The answer may well be the security should have been better, that those barriers, barriers, look, we know that ISIS and Al-Qaeda, for a decade and a half now, have told their supporters that the easiest way to attack people is pedestrians in a pedestrian area, use a vehicle, get to high speed, cause maximum casualties.

So, these barrier systems have been put in place to mitigate against that, and they didn't work. And why didn't they work? Because they weren't ready. Why wasn't there an alternate while the new ones were being upgraded? I think those will be the questions that will be asked. But it's no surprise that we see an attack using a vehicle.

It happened in Nice 2016, 86 people killed. Berlin, the Christmas market there 2016. Barcelona the following year. We've witnessed them here ramming vehicle attacks in London outside Westminster, the House of Parliament. New York, eight people killed in 2017, and again another Islamist car ramming attack.

And right-wing activists also using them as perhaps what we witnessed in Germany in a Christmas market just a few weeks ago. So, that method of attack is screaming to the authorities that this is something you need to protect against. So, I think there will be a lot of focus on why those barriers weren't there.

MACFARLANE: It is a well-used act of terror, isn't it? And once again used to deadly effect here. Nic, thank you.

Now, we've been hearing from people who were on Bourbon Street on New Year's Eve. A resident of New Orleans spoke to CNN earlier today describing the harrowing aftermath he witnessed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY COTHRAN, WITNESS: Me and my friend were heading from Lower Bourbon towards Canal. We seen up towards Crystal Burger and all that, that there was just a lot going on. And so we ducked off into a nightclub real quick.

And within two minutes of walking in, five, four or five girls come running in, push past security and hide under tables. Me and my friend living here kind of knowing what's what and things that have been on the news. We didn't take any chances. We ran upstairs to the balcony area that we knew was there. And when we got up there, it wasn't anyone chasing anybody. It was just unimaginable casualty.

I mean just the disfigurement and the body's strong. Something you can't unsee, you'll never forget. Directly, I think, was definitely a mother, twisted up, obviously deceased. We counted around eight bodies very quickly right in our area.

One gentleman, crushed, had tire tracks across his back. Once they rolled him over, he had tire tracks on his front. He was completely crushed. Another girl, young small girl, was dancing when we were coming up the street. And she was just completely flat in the middle, dead center. Another woman just brutally run over but still agonizing.

I'm certified in CPR and first responder training and they wouldn't let us help. They locked us all inside, which is understandable, but nobody else was helping. So, that was even tougher. But just the fact that these people are somebody's people and they're not going to be there this morning is rough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, we've also been following developments in Las Vegas where a Tesla cyber truck exploded outside the Trump Hotel on Wednesday morning. Here's the moment police suspect either fireworks or some type of gas tank went off in the bed of the vehicle. The FBI is working to determine whether it was an act of terrorism. Veronica Miracle has more details.

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VERONICA MIRACLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Our John Miller is telling us he has spoken to multiple law enforcement officials who say that the driver of the cyber truck has a military background. Now, law enforcement officials say they know the name of this driver who died in the explosion, but they are not going to be releasing the identity of that driver until they notify the next of kin.

We understand that this driver was in Las Vegas for about an hour driving around the strip before pulling up to Trump Tower before that explosion happened.

[03:15:00]

And authorities say the driver rented the cyber truck in Colorado via the Turo app before driving down to Las Vegas. Video released by law enforcement shows explosives that were contained inside the truck, which included fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel.

And all of that was connected to a detonation system that was controlled by the driver. Sheriff pointed out, which is really incredible, how the cyber truck actually contained the explosion, the way that it was built, forced the explosion to go upwards instead of outwards, which meant that the glass from Trump Tower was not broken and seven people nearby were injured. But with minor injuries, all of them are OK. They've all been released from the hospital.

The driver did die. And Las Vegas police believe that this was an isolated incident. They are not yet willing to say if this was, in fact, connected to what happened in New Orleans. But it is quite unusual that both the drivers in these incidents rented their cars from Turo.

We do have a statement from Turo, and they said they're cooperating with these investigations. But they also said that neither of the drivers had criminal backgrounds, which would have flagged them as security threats. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, more on the Las Vegas truck explosion coming up later this hour.

But first, new details about the terror attack in New Orleans, what we know about the suspect in the New Year's Day attack. That's coming up.

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MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Tens of thousands of college football fans had gathered in New Orleans for the quarterfinal playoff game between Notre Dame and Georgia, now postponed to later today after Wednesday's terror attack.

[03:20:04]

The attack happened not far from the Superdome, the sports arena where the two football teams will set to face off. Louisiana's attorney general expressed concerns about holding the Sugar Bowl so soon after the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ MURRILL, LOUSIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I would like to see it delayed at least another day. If they asked my opinion, I would tell them that. I think that it was a wise decision to delay it at least a day. This is an active crime scene, and they just finished removing some of the bodies, and they still haven't removed all of them. I still think that we probably need to wait an extra day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Meanwhile, the head coach for Notre Dame football expressed his condolences to the victims and their families, and solidarity with the city of New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCUS FREEMAN, NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL HEAD COACH: First off, I'd like to say we're hurting for all those affected by this tragedy. The city of New Orleans has welcomed us with open arms, and we join them in prayers for all those victims and families that are affected by this tragedy.

We got together this morning as a team, and before I got downstairs, I had gotten a phone call that there was obviously some type of tragedy that happened in the middle of the night, and I didn't really have the details, and so we were preparing this morning to play a game this evening.

And then after our break, when we got the news and we learned of the severity of the tragedies that happened, we had to get back together as a team. I think a lot of people would start to hear that the game would be postponed, but we had to get back together and discuss what had happened.

So what I told the team is in the toughest moments, the culture of any program of a nation is revealed, and I have a lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MACFARLANE: Well, the deadly terror attack in New Orleans raises new security questions as the city prepares to host hundreds of thousands of visitors in the coming weeks for several large events. CNN's Tom Foreman has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This truck was coming down Canal Street here, the widest main street in America. It turns in here 3:30 in the morning at a time, the New Year, the Sugar Bowl, all of this happening. Bourbon Street, end-to-end, typically is just packed with people.

This is where the attacks seem to begin in the sense of people being hit, but really the truck, if you look at the pictures, didn't seem to stop until about here. If it had continued up into here, there would have been -- I can't imagine the count of people who would have died in that circumstance. It hit that large red crane-type device and stopped.

Nonetheless, this is one of the reasons that we need clarity on whether or not people can simply grieve this terrible event and look for answers, or whether they need to be concerned about somebody else being out there, because look at all the other areas so close by -- Jackson Square, Cafe Du Monde, right down here, so many people have visited.

It was right up in here, so many people have visited that. That's merely blocks away. Preservation Hall, a great tourist attraction. Pat O'Brien's, a bar so many young people go to there. Canal Street over here we mentioned, huge.

A lot of Mardi Gras parades there. They had a parade for the Sugar Bowl in this area just before this all happened. And of course, the Superdome right over here. You could walk from here all the way over here to Jackson Square in 30 minutes easily, in a very relaxed fashion.

And this is a town that has lots and lots of people around it, and they've taken security seriously. They've been aware of threats. There are very serious questions now as to what maybe wasn't done right here. First of all, we have the Sugar Bowl, that's happening right now -- 75,000 people maybe inside the Superdome, maybe more. Watch parties all over town.

Mardi Gras technically starts next Monday with the first parade. That'll go on for about two months. About a million people will come to town for that. Jazz Fest, we'll get a half million or more in town. That's coming up a little bit later this spring.

The Super Bowl in just a little over a month. These are huge events, all of which, if there is a threat out there, are all in a position of having to be concerned about it. And in fact, the NFL put out a tweet saying, "Deeply saddened by the news of this devastating event in New Orleans, thoughts with the victims, the community, and all those involved." And the NFL and the local host committee have been working collaboratively with local, state, and federal agencies the past two years to develop a comprehensive security plan. They will go through with that plan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: We're also following a developing story out of New York this hour. Police say multiple people have been injured in a drive-by shooting at a nightclub in the borough of Queens. Police said at least 10 people were injured.

Witnesses say someone opened fire from a gray Infiniti sedan from the street and may have been followed by a second vehicle. Police are searching for more information and video to identify those responsible.

[03:25:09]

Well, we're keeping an eye on all three New Year's Day attacks in the U.S. Still ahead, investigators are talking to people who knew the New

Orleans suspect to find out more about him.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: My son was actually in close proximity to the shooting with his friends. There's eight of them total. And right when it happened, the girlfriend called us. We left the hotel right away, shot right into it to get them out.

It was pandemonium. I mean, it was obviously emergency vehicles everywhere. Police were everywhere. Bodies, folks were just running through the streets. Obviously, they were panicking as well. It was an active shooter situation as far as we were concerned.

So, we just -- we didn't know what to expect. But that's what was running through our mind was really to get to them quickly and get the mission accomplished of getting them out safely. That was number one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: A father describing the chaos after the deadly New Orleans terror attack as he tried to reach his son.

At least 15 people were killed on New Year's Day and dozens more injured. The FBI says the attacker drove a rented pickup truck into a crowd on the famous Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. local time, then exchanged fire with local police. 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar was killed at the scene.

A source familiar with the investigation says authorities have been interviewing people who knew him but have not made any arrests or identified any additional suspects so far. Meanwhile, the FBI has been conducting search warrants in multiple

states, not just in New Orleans, Louisiana, but also Houston, Texas, where Jabbar had lived.

[03:30:00]

And it's where the truck used in the attack was registered. The FBI is expected to brief Congress on the investigation in the hours ahead.

And as CNN's Evan Perez reports, investigators are also trying to find out if the suspect had any accomplices.

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EVAN PEREZ, CNN SR. U.S. JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The FBI is working to determine whether anyone else was involved in the attack that killed at least 15 people early on New Year's Day on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

An Army veteran from Texas maneuvered a rented pickup truck around a police car that was intended to block access to the street. The attack injured dozens of people, and the FBI is treating it as a terrorism investigation.

Investigators found an ISIS flag as well as writings with the suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar. This evidence, along with recordings he is believed to have made recently, indicated allegiance to ISIS, according to investigators.

Authorities also detonated several suspected improvised explosives in the truck and nearby. Investigators spent the day at the large crime scene in the French Quarter as well as working to conduct searches at other locations associated with the suspect.

This includes a rental home nearby where the suspect is believed to have spent recent days before carrying out the attack, as well as another home in the Houston area where the suspect is thought to have lived.

They've also spent the day talking to people who knew the suspect and so far haven't identified anyone who helped him or who knew of his plans to carry out the attack.

The FBI is still continuing to ask the public for help, to share video or tips if they've seen the suspect in recent days and weeks.

Evan Perez, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Let's go to CNN's Kyung Lah now who has details on what we know about the suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN SR. INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The suspect behind the terror attack in New Orleans up until several years ago appeared to be quite normal. An army veteran who went to college and worked in real estate and I.T. had started to have some financial troubles.

He posted a YouTube video, though, as recently as four years ago, where he described that he had been born in Texas, that he was trying to get this real estate company off the ground. He identified himself as a veteran.

We want to play you a short clip of this, even though this video has been taken down because it gives you a window into the background of this suspect.

SHAMSUD-DIN JABBAR, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: So I'm born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and now live in Houston. And I've been here all my life, with the exception of traveling for the military, where I spent 10 years as a human resources specialist.

LAH: You're looking at a picture from the U.S. Army. It comes from a 2013 U.S. Army Facebook post that identified him as an army staff sergeant working as an information technology team chief for the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team.

Now looking online, he appeared to have very much a normal background. He went to college. He went to Georgia State University. The university confirms that he did graduate with a bachelor's degree. He worked in real estate in Texas for four years.

And then things started to change. There are divorce records that show in 2012, from his first wife, she sued him to try to get child support. And then in his second marriage, there was a filing that the suspect, the would-be suspect, would eventually file, saying that he was tens of thousands of dollars in debt from his business, that he was at risk of foreclosure, and that he had credit card debt.

And that's why he was petitioning the judge to try to back out of some of those payments.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Joining me now from here in London is Sajjan Gohel. He's the international security director at the Asia Pacific Foundation. Thank you so much for your time.

Sajjan, I know you are very familiar in your work with these types of acts of terror. So, in terms of the nature of this attack, the location, the timing, the motive, does this bear the hallmarks of an ISIS attack to you? And if so, what does that tell us about the attacker as the authorities are looking to learn more about his motivations?

SAJJAN M. GOHEL, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTOR, ASIA PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, Christina, it certainly does imply several strategic and symbolic considerations as potentially textbook ISIS. So if you look at the combination of ramming and shooting, it does suggest a desire to maximize casualties.

We've seen vehicle attacks by ISIS in the past. You will recall in 2016, the Nice Bastille Day attack. Then there was also in 2017, the attacks in London, Westminster Bridge, and then also London Bridge. Both of those involved vehicles, maiming, killing people. Then a follow-up attack as well, either using knives or weapons.

[03:35:04]

And in all of these incidents, what you then see is that the suspect then seeks to kill as many people as possible, then die in a hail of bullets, effectively what's described as death by cop.

And this, again, is another illustration of it. I think the challenge now for the FBI is that was this inspired or was this directed by ISIS? And as the investigation unfolds, we'll probably find out more about that.

MACFARLANE: Yes, and given the fact that this was, I guess we can say, likely a radicalized individual, what do you make of investigators' assessment here that he did not act alone?

GOHEL: It's very concerning, the fact that this could have other connections to individuals that assisted in this operation.

If you think about it, there was obviously some degree of planning for it. So the French Quarter of New Orleans, it's a major tourist hub. It's known for its nightlife. It's got enormous historical significance.

And then, of course, the attack coincides with New Year's, which is a global celebration. So the attack was designed to kill as many people as possible. There were a lot of revelers still at that early hours of New Year's Day.

Keep in mind that you also had the major sporting event of the Sugar Bowl. So there would have been a lot of tourists in the region as well, from Notre Dame and Georgia University. That game has also been suspended. So, on the one hand, the attack was designed to kill and maim.

The second was to also have an economic repercussion designed to create consequences, psychological, the sense of fear and impact that was there.

So, this attack was certainly well planned. And the fact that this individual was able to take his vehicle into a pedestrian part of Bourbon Street is important because it's very likely that he had done reconnaissance, advanced planning. So, he knew the route and he knew how to bypass security.

MACFARLANE: I mean, the fact that we don't know yet as to whether there were any accomplices to this attack, I mean, there will be concern still right now about there being potential follow up attacks to this event. Is it wise then to be holding a major event like the Sugar Bowl, which

has been delayed by, I think, 24 hours? Is it wise to still be holding that event? We know the Louisiana attorney general has already expressed concern over that.

GOHEL: There are concerns about continuing with this sporting event. The challenge, I guess, is the logistics of it, where you are looking at people coming from various states, the economic considerations.

So, all of these have probably been factored in. And the fact that it was even postponed by 24 hours is unprecedented.

I do think it is a concern that if this game goes ahead, if there are individuals that are still seen as a concern behind this plot, it could create further problems. And as we've seen, that if there is one attack that takes place, it may encourage and inspire others to do follow up copycat incidents.

Unfortunately, when you see a precedent set, especially on New Year's Day, there will be individuals and also terrorist groups like ISIS or al-Qaeda that may see this as an opportunity to exploit the situation, to further ramp up social, political and economic consequences as well.

MACFARLANE: And given you've already mentioned that, you know, we have seen this type of attack before, the use of vehicles to inflict terror. How much was this security failing, really, on the ground here in terms of the fact that the barriers that were in place, we understand, were in the process of being upgraded. You know, the Super Bowl is coming to town next month.

How much is that really, you know, at the root of this in terms of how easily the attacker was able to evade the existing barriers in place?

GOHEL: It's a concern, and I think, again, it goes back to the fact that this individual probably must have done scouting in advance, did the reconnaissance, assessed where the security weaknesses were potentially there.

And if you look at the timing of the attack, early hours of New Year's Day, you'll still see large crowds celebrating, especially in Bourbon Street of New Orleans, coupled with reduced vigilance. There'll be fatigue.

So, it would make an attack like this more possible, but also ensure that there was significant casualties. We're lucky that there were actually a lot of police officers present on the scene at the time who were able to react quickly.

But the fact that you have these obstacles, physical ones, not able to deter a vehicle attack, that is something they will have to look at in the future.

MACFARLANE: Sajjan, I just want to mention very quickly this attack in Las Vegas or the car attack outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, because there are questions about whether or not this was linked to the attack in New Orleans. And there do appear to be some superficial similarities here between the two events.

[03:40:05]

Both suspects, for instance, in both attacks used the same car rental app. How likely is it that these incidents were, in fact, linked at all?

GOHEL: Well, it's certainly something that's being looked at from a professional capacity. I know Sheriff Kevin McMayhill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He is extremely forensic, very hands on, and he will look at every possible angle that may be connected to what transpired between Las Vegas and New Orleans.

It could just be coincidence, but it is nevertheless a reminder that these types of challenges where individuals want to carry out attacks, whether they're ideological or whether there are other motives, it is a reminder, sobering reminder that in 2025, terrorism hasn't gone away.

And it also reminds us that vigilance is also going to have to be an absolute priority. And sometimes you can have separate incidents that may not be connected or there could be threads that draw them together.

MACFARLANE: All right, Sajjan Gohel, we appreciate your thoughts. Thank you so much for joining us here in London.

GOHEL: My pleasure.

MACFARLANE: Now, U.S. President Joe Biden says the suspect in the New Orleans attack was, quote, "inspired by ISIS, especially the desire to kill." But he cautioned Americans against jumping to conclusions since the investigation is still in a preliminary stage.

Mr. Biden also promised the government's full support to the people of New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Our hearts are with the people of New Orleans after a despicable attack that occurred in early morning hours.

To all the families of those who were killed, to all those who were injured, to all the people of New Orleans who are grieving today, I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you. We're going to stand with you as you mourn and as you heal in the weeks to come.

I want to thank our brave first responders and law enforcement personnel who stopped the attacker in his tracks before he could kill or injure even more people.

I want to thank you to everyone at the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, including the FBI, working non- stop to investigate this heinous act. I directed my team to make sure every resource, 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's no remaining threat to the American people. We will support the people of New Orleans as they begin the hard work of healing.

New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world, a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture and above all, its people.

So, I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated.

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MACFARLANE: Well, yes, President-elect Donald Trump released a statement, it read in part, quote, "Our hearts are with all the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump administration will fully support the city of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil."

The attack in New Orleans is similar to several recent terror attacks that used cars to kill and inflict damage. Why vehicles are often chosen as weapons. Coming up.

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[03:45:00]

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CEDRIC RICHMOND (D), FORMER NEW ORLEANS REPRESENTATIVE: Unfortunately, 15 people, their families got notices that they will not go into the New Year. And it was done by evil act, evil person. And many people injured. So, we take it seriously. But the other thing I will say is New Orleans, we've been knocked down a lot. Whether it's Katrina, Rita, whether it's Betsy, we always get back up and we get back up with optimism.

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MACFARLANE: That was Cedric Richmond, a former congressman who represented New Orleans on the deadly attack that the attacker used a truck as a weapon against people on a crowded street that's very popular with tourists.

As CNN's Brian Todd reports, using vehicles and terror attacks have become more common in recent years. And a warning, some of the video you're about to see is disturbing.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One witness to the New Orleans attack says she can't unhear the screams of the victims.

KIMBERLY STRICKLIN, WITNESSED NEW ORLEANS ATTACKS: I remember the screeching and him gunning the car and the impact and the screams, like I said, the screams of those girls. I mean, I don't know that I'll be able to forget that.

TODD (voice-over): The kind of horror that many cities have experienced in recent years when attackers turned vehicles into weapons.

Just a few days before this Christmas, a car slams into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing at least five people, injuring more than 200. The suspect, a doctor originally from Saudi Arabia who'd expressed anti-Muslim, far-right views.

Like Magdeburg and New Orleans, other cities have experienced horrific vehicle attacks during holidays.

November 2021, a suspect with a long criminal history drives an SUV through the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killing six, injuring more than 60.

Berlin, December 2016, a tractor trailer rams into a crowd at a bustling Christmas market, killing at least 12 people, injuring dozens of others. The suspect, a rejected asylum seeker, was later killed in a shootout with police in Italy.

And the deadliest vehicle attack ever, July 14th, 2016, Bastille Day in Nice, France, a Tunisian-born French resident drives a 20-ton truck nearly a mile through a crowded seaside promenade, 86 people killed, more than 200 others wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility.

Why do these vehicle attacks often seem more deadly than other tactics?

PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: A vehicle attack doesn't require any special training. You rent a vehicle, buy a vehicle and use it as a weapon.

Secondly, just like school shooters look at Columbine or other famous school shootings and kind of obsess about them and terrorists examine other terrorists. And they say, well, what worked? Philly vehicle rammings work.

TODD (voice-over): October 2017, an Islamic extremist from Uzbekistan jumps a curb in a rental truck in Manhattan, drives down a bicycle path along the West Side Highway and kills eight people. Authorities found a note near the truck claiming the attack was in the name of ISIS.

A couple of months earlier, a domestic extremist, a white nationalist, slammed his vehicle into a crowd of counter protesters at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one woman and injuring almost 20 others.

Analyst Peter Bergen says vehicle attacks with their blood-curdling optics have a distinct psychological impact.

[03:50:04]

BERGEN: Certainly, there is a short-term effect where it terrorizes people. People are worried about going out in places where there are a lot of people gathered.

TODD: Security analysts say one somewhat common characteristic of these vehicle attacks is that many of them took place in cities where tourism is a key part of the local economy.

One official with the New Orleans Tourism Association says it's too early to tell what effect this attack will have on tourism in that city, which was still trying to recover from tourism declines stemming from the covid pandemic and even from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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MACFARLANE: Well, police in Montenegro say a gunman who killed at least 10 people has died from self-inflicted injuries. The suspect had been on the run from police after opening fire in a restaurant not far from the country's capital.

Police say he killed four people, then moved on to three different locations, killing at least six more people in the process, including two children. Four other people have life-threatening injuries. Police say the suspect tried to take his own life. He died while being taken to hospital.

Still to come, deadly fireworks incidents spoil New Year's Eve celebrations in Germany. Details on that after the break.

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MACFARLANE: One last update on our breaking news this hour, the FBI says searches are underway in multiple U.S. states in connection with the New Orleans terror attack. At least 15 people were killed and more than 30 injured when a man with an ISIS flag on his truck ran down pedestrians early Wednesday. The suspect was killed in a shootout with police.

[03:55:01]

U.S. President Joe Biden says investigators are looking into any possible connection with a Cyber Truck explosion that killed the driver outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

And in Germany, five people were killed in a string of incidents following fireworks during New Year's Eve celebrations.

In Berlin, firefighters responded to more than 1,800 incidents and police detained more than 330 people. Authorities say firefighters and other emergency services personnel were targeted with fireworks in at least 13 attacks. In Munich, the fire department says a wayward firework ignited a huge fire on the balcony of an apartment building. And officials say three children were seriously injured by fireworks, two suffering burns on their hands and face, and one lost parts of his hand.

Now, police in South Korea have carried out search and seizure operations related to the deadly crash of the Jeju Air jet. A few hours ago, police searched the Muan International Airport where the plane crashed. They also searched Jeju's air offices in Seoul and at least one other building. Police say a search warrant was issued on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury, 179 people died in the crash on Sunday.

Officials have finished transcribing the data from the cockpit voice recorder, but they say it did not tell them when communication was lost. The damaged flight data recorder will be sent to the U.S. for analysis.

And that's it for this hour. I'm Christina Macfarlane. Stay with us, "CNN Newsroom," and I continue after the break. Stay with us.

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