Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Interview With New Orleans City Councilman Freddie King III; New Orleans Attack Investigation Continues; Interview With Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD). Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired January 02, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:51]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Good morning. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

And we're following breaking news this morning. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry visited the scene of what has become the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since the 2023 mass shooting in Maine. At least 15 people are dead and dozens are injured after a man rammed a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street just hours into the new year.

The FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism and says the attacker had an ISIS flag in his truck at the time. He was an Army veteran from Texas and was killed in a firefight with police.

Let's go straight to New Orleans and CNN's Ryan Young.

Ryan, what is the latest on the investigation?

RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, what we know is, a law enforcement source actually tells me, at this news conference that's going to happen later on this morning, that they will address whether or not anyone was else was involved in this case.

Of course, they have been pursuing that for quite some time after this horrific terrorist attack on the street behind me. And I can tell you right now, as I set by the way here, they just brought in some heavy machinery and trucks to block the road. They have been cleaning that up all morning long as the FBI finally released the street, this investigation still ongoing.

I talked to a sanitation worker who said the scene behind that truck was so disturbing, he will never forget it. Now, of course, the FBI is investigating Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, an Army veteran who had an ISIS flag on the back of that F-150 as it barreled down the road.

Take a listen to the superintendent talk about why the barriers weren't in place when this attack happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANNE KIRKPATRICK, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, POLICE SUPERINTENDENT: Well, they were not able to be up and running and that is because it was under repair. We were aware of this issue and that's why we were using patrol cars.

That will be changing today. We will have much heavier equipment to harden these softer targets. So the city had a multimillion-dollar package for repairing this infrastructure, obviously, in time for the Super Bowl, but it was not complete at the time of this event last night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Yes, Pamela, well, obviously a lot of questions about how they will move forward, but I can tell you, there's been a surge of security in the area.

We have seen National Guard troops throughout the city this morning. Also, you can see the headline of the paper this morning, as this talked about the act of terrorism. But, moving forward, you can see fans of both Notre Dame and Georgia filling the streets here before the game time, but a lot of focus now on the next steps and making sure everyone stays safe as they continue this investigation.

Of course, new details should be coming within this hour -- Pam.

BROWN: All right, thanks so much, Ryan Young.

The FBI just briefed some members of Congress on the New Orleans attack, one of those members, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

First off the bat, is there any indication the suspect acted as a lone wolf in your -- from what the FBI told you?

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Well, they're just developing the facts now. So they wanted to caution everybody not to jump to conclusions. But, right now, they do not have evidence that this was connected to the incident in Las Vegas or that he was working with anyone else at the time.

But it's very possible that new information surfaces in the hours and days to come.

BROWN: Do they have information that he set the bombs himself before using his truck in the attack?

RASKIN: I don't think that they have made any definitive conclusion about that.

But, again, the evidence that they have got now suggests that he was acting alone. But, again, that's possibly to be supplemented with new evidence if anything, or anybody comes forward within the next several hours or days. BROWN: And what else can you tell us about his ties to ISIS? We know

he clearly went through a hard time in his life and then he talked about wanting to kill his family and then turned to ISIS.

What more can you tell us about that from this briefing and whether it was self-directed or something more?

[11:05:04]

RASKIN: Well, he was brandishing an ISIS flag on the truck, which is obviously pretty unusual. So, at the very least, he was an admirer of a terrorist fanatical organization.

But he also displayed all the symptoms of somebody who had a very troubled, convoluted personal life. I think he had three different wives, and there were different abuse allegations along the way. So, all of that will come out.

But it looks like the usual mix of severe personal problems with growing attachments to a fanatical terrorist ideology.

BROWN: Is there any information yet that he was in touch with ISIS fighters abroad or anything like that?

RASKIN: No, but at least we have not heard anything about that. And I don't think that the FBI has any information to that effect at this point. But that's one of the things that they definitely will be exploring.

BROWN: And are they definitively saying this was a terrorist attack?

RASKIN: Well...

BROWN: I know they said they're investigating it as one, but are they coming out and just saying that now?

RASKIN: I mean, he certainly spread terror, and it was an attack on the civilian population. And it appears to be connected to political and ideological motivations on behalf of the perpetrator.

So, by that definition, it would certainly be a terrorist incident. But it doesn't mean that he was necessarily in direct touch with ISIS. But he certainly seems to be an admirer.

BROWN: When you say political and ideological, what do you mean by that? Was there something more than just being an ISIS fan that drove this?

RASKIN: Well, he was carrying the flag of ISIS. And I think this is the area that needs to be further developed, what exactly all of his motivations and statements were surrounding the attack.

Of course, from the standpoint of the families of the victims, both the people who were killed, the 14 people who were killed, in addition to the perpetrator himself, and the dozens of people wounded, it certainly was terrorism, because it was a terrorist -- a violent terrorist disruption of their lives and their families.

And whether he was acting directly on behalf of a foreign terrorist group, or he was a homegrown admirer of terrorism, or he was someone who was just deeply troubled, and that was part of the mix, the result -- the result was the same...

BROWN: Right. Yes. It was very sad.

RASKIN: ... which was mayhem and carnage.

BROWN: I have a...

RASKIN: Yes, it's a nightmare for one of America's beautiful cities, amazing city.

BROWN: It is. It is beyond a nightmare. We're about to speak to a family member of one of the victims.

Very quickly, before I ask you about the Cybertruck, do you have any more information about when he arrived in New Orleans, whether he was doing surveillance? There had been some reporting he was staying at an Airbnb at some point?

RASKIN: No.

Other than knowing that he traveled from Houston there and was in a truck with Texas license plates...

BROWN: Yes.

RASKIN: ... I'm not certain that they have information yet about how much reconnaissance was done by the perpetrator.

I did want to thank our colleague Troy Carter, the congressman from New Orleans, who's been on the ground and has been working closely with authorities and trying to calm people and let them know that the law enforcement is on top of the situation now.

BROWN: Yes. Yes, we have interviewed him a couple of times yesterday.

I want to ask you about the Cybertruck explosion. You were also briefed on that. What did you learn about the suspect's background?

RASKIN: Not much there either. He also was an Army veteran. There's no evidence at this point of any connection between those two individuals or the two incidents.

There were a couple of places where their careers overlapped and intersected, including in Afghanistan, I believe, but there's no evidence that -- at this point that they knew each other or that they were coordinating in any way.

BROWN: What else did you learn that we haven't discussed and what are your outstanding questions?

RASKIN: Well, I think I have a lot of the questions that you have been posing.

And I think, at this point, everybody is up to speed. I do commend FBI and law enforcement in being very forthcoming with the information that they have. Obviously, there are a lot of questions, beginning with, what is the continuing threat to public safety?

And, at this point, all indications are that they have the situation under control on the ground in New Orleans and for the Sugar Bowl.

BROWN: And from what I hear from you now, from that briefing -- and we are expecting to hear from authorities soon, hopefully during this show -- that, at this point in the investigation, they have evolved their thinking to now believe that the attacker in New Orleans acted alone, but, of course, new information could come to light to change that.

[11:10:18]

But they have changed their perspective, from what I hear from you from that briefing. And, also, they do not believe that the two attacks in Vegas and in New Orleans are connected, though the two men did have some overlap and lives intersected at some points, but that they didn't know each other.

So that seems to be the main new takeaways from this briefing.

Thank you so much, Congressman Raskin. We...

RASKIN: Yes, just to be clear...

BROWN: Go ahead. Yes, go ahead.

RASKIN: Yes, just to be clear, there's no definitive conclusion about whether the perpetrator in New Orleans was acting alone or whether he was acting in connection with the Vegas attacker.

But they don't have any evidence to that effect at this point.

BROWN: Right.

RASKIN: So, we just want to stick very closely to the facts as they evolve. And that's....

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Because it could change. And we have seen how they have evolved in the -- New Orleans, right? I mean, they initially said they didn't believe it was a terrorist attack. Now that's changed. And they believed he wasn't solely responsible. Now that's evolving.

So, certainly, it is still early days and this could all change. And I think that caveat and that nuance is really important for our viewers to understand.

Thank you so much, Congressman.

RASKIN: You bet.

Fifteen lives were tragically lost in the devastating New Orleans attack, among them, 37-year-old Baton -- Baton Rouge, I should say, native Reggie Hunter.

Joining us now is his cousin, Travis Hunter.

Travis, my heart just goes out to you.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I am so sorry for your loss, for your family's loss. I want to start by just asking you about Reggie. What kind of guy was he?

TRAVIS HUNTER, COUSIN OF VICTIM: Reggie was a beautiful person inside and out.

To know Reggie was to love Reggie. He was always in a good mood. He changed the environment in the room, always smiling, just a pure person, a good, pure-hearted person. There's nothing else I could say, other than he's just a beautiful person inside and out.

BROWN: And he had an 11-year-old and a 1-year-old, right?

HUNTER: Yes, ma'am, correct.

BROWN: Does the 11-year-old know yet?

HUNTER: From my understanding, he does know.

BROWN: Wow. Just that's beyond heartbreaking.

Tell us when you learned that your cousin was a victim of this attack. Did you get to say your goodbyes before he passed at the hospital?

HUNTER: I did not. I received a call yesterday morning around 6:26 from his sister saying that her brother was involved in the incident that took place on Bourbon Street yesterday early morning.

And we immediately rushed to the hospital in New Orleans to meet her there to see exactly what had taken place in and what was his status.

BROWN: I have to ask you this. We have learned more about how this could have happened. And as you look at the video of the driver just before the attack, he was able to just turn right onto Bourbon the sidewalk. The sidewalk was not -- did not have barriers.

HUNTER: Correct.

BROWN: What do you think about the apparent security lapses here? How does it make you feel?

HUNTER: It's definitely an unsafe environment. It's definitely a concern, not only for me, but for citizens and people who are visiting New Orleans as well.

It's an overwhelming situation, very disturbing. It's just -- it's just real bad at this present moment.

BROWN: Anything else you want to say about Reggie before we let you go?

HUNTER: Reggie was a brother, a friend, an awesome cousin, and, most importantly, definitely was a great father.

He wanted to do the small things, as we said, America, which is provide a living for him and his family, have fun, go on vacation, and just do the right thing. And, also at the end of the day, he wanted to become a servant of the lord. That was the outcome, that he didn't go...

BROWN: I understand you have another cousin in the hospital recovering, from what I have gathered. Is that right?

HUNTER: Correct, on Reggie's side, yes, ma'am.

BROWN: Yes.

Travis Hunter, thank you so much. I know your family is grieving today trying to process this. And we are thinking of you.

More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:19:13]

BROWN: Well, this morning the FBI is seeking answers in its dual investigations of a chaotic and deadly New Year's Day.

Representative Jamie Raskin, you just heard him telling me moments ago that the FBI doesn't believe at this early stage, and it could change, that the incidents are connected, though there were some places that the attackers in both, or the suspects, their careers overlapped.

He also said that the belief now is that the attacker in New Orleans acted alone, but, again, that could change too as this investigation goes on.

Joining us now is Councilman Freddie King III. He represents New Orleans' French Quarter, where the deadly attack happened.

Thanks for coming on.

I mean, first off, I just want to ask, how is the city doing a day after this horrible attack?

[11:20:04]

FREDDIE KING III, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, CITY COUNCILMAN: Good morning. Thank you for having me.

The city is doing what we always doing in times of tragedy. We're moving forward, we're being resilient and we're showing the world that this city is a resilient city and we're open for business. And we're going to put our best foot forward for the entire world to see.

The French Quarter is going to open back up later today. The game's going to happen today. And we're ready. We're up to the challenge.

BROWN: What more can you tell us about how the two officers who were shot, how they're doing and the other victims in this attack who are in the hospital right now?

KING: The two officers exchanged gunfire with the terrorists, with the terrorists here.

And they're doing fine. They have injuries. They're not life- threatening.They're expected to make a full recovery. I had the opportunity to visit the hospital with -- and speak to some of the family members. And one thing that was very difficult, if you will, to speak to a lady who said she has two sons. She lost one a year-and-a- half ago, and she has another one that she can't find.

She doesn't know if he's alive. His name is not showing up in any of the hospitals. And just hearing that mother say that, it made it all real. It lets you know that this is real. You don't really see things like this in the city of New Orleans. We have our own issues with crime, but you just don't expect that to happen here, maybe in another city.

You hear about it on TV, on movies and in books, but it really hit home seeing that mother tear up not knowing if or someone's alive, if he's OK, where he was located. That brought it home.

BROWN: So much just loss and so much grief, right, for these families...

KING: Yes.

BROWN: ... and the not knowing for some of them still. It's just beyond awful.

KING: Yes.

BROWN: You have to ask, was there enough done? I mean, to make sure that it's safe in the future, you have to look back.

KING: Right.

BROWN: And there's a lot of questions about the security barriers and the area designed to protect pedestrians from vehicles. They're currently being upgraded, so they weren't up at the time of the attack. Do you think, in hindsight, too much focus was on preparing for the upcoming Super Bowl leading to security vulnerabilities during the New Year's Eve celebrations?

KING: No, no, I don't think that too much attention was being put on the Super Bowl. There was a police car where the barriers would have been. So, if you look at the video, the driver went around the police car where those barriers would have been. This individual had it on their mind to create chaos, death and

destruction. And, unfortunately, when you have somebody who has something to live for with that on their mind, it's difficult to plan and plot out every step.

But what we can control is what's going to happen moving forward. What we're going to do now is look to see, maybe should Bourbon Street be pedestrian-only? If so, for how long? Maybe just timed for deliveries to happen. Maybe put in bollards, protected bollards on the sidewalk. I think everything is up for discussion now. There's no -- nothing off the table.

Another thing I want to talk about and have this conversation with our local and state lawmakers is this permitless carry right now. You can have someone in the state of Louisiana, including the French Quarter, which is -- which is different from up north, rural Louisiana.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: OK, I'm so sorry to interrupt you. It looks like we are hearing from officials on an update on the investigation.

Let's go to that.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. JEFF LANDRY (R-LA): I also think that it's important to remember that what happened yesterday was akin to those who are old enough to remember jigsaw puzzles, and that you would take a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle and you empty the box and you have got to start sifting through those pieces.

And you want to start -- if you're real good, you start at the corners, right? Try to put your corners together. And from yesterday to today, over 1,000 law enforcement agents and officers, men and men, have been poring over countless amounts of data, of videos, of surveillances, interviews, tracking down every possible lead that came to us, whether it was the New Orleans Police Department, the Louisiana State Police, the FBI, or our other federal agencies.

[11:25:08]

Also yesterday, we declared -- I issued an emergency declaration. That declaration was meant to streamline resources and communications between state, local, and federal partners.

And we're seeing the results of it. I also would like to remind everyone that what's going on in the city and the state is twofold. We have got (AUDIO GAP) going on, while we're also continuing to secure the city in preparation for a 3:00 kickoff time for the Sugar Bowl.

With that, I would also remind those who in the city that, as far as state resources are concerned, we have the Louisiana State Police, the Louisiana National Guard, which was part of that emergency declaration, which allowed us to put an entire M.P. company on the ground. Those become force multipliers, is what we call that in law

enforcement and the military. That helps to add to the resources that we have. Wildlife and Fisheries, the Department of Corrections, DSF, DHS, our Veterans Affairs, our Probation and Parole, all state agencies, any state agency who has post-certified offices are here in the city to help secure the city.

And so with that, I would like to turn it over to Christopher Raia, who is the deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division -- Chris.

CHRISTOPHER RAIA, FBI DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Thank you, Governor Landry.

Good morning. I am FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia. I'm from our Counterterrorism Division at headquarters. I'm also joined by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan from our New Orleans office, who you heard from yesterday.

I'm here to discuss not only the latest investigative information we have here in New Orleans, but I will also let about other investigative activities outside of the state.

I first and most importantly want to send our deepest condolences to the victims of this horrific attack and their loved ones; 14 innocent victims were killed in this senseless attack and at least 35 were injured. We cannot ease the grief people in this community and across the nation are feeling at this time, but, rest assured, we stand with you and in support of you.

All the resources, and I'm going to go into that a little bit later, all the resources of the FBI are being focused on tracking down every piece of evidence, every lead, every interview, every potential lead we have got.

While I won't be able to answer all your questions today, my goal is to be as forthcoming as possible with you on what we have uncovered so far.

First and foremost, let me be very clear about this point. This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act. This was obviously a critical incident. And, with that, lots of information and tips come pouring in from law enforcement, first responders and the public.

We have been aggressively running down these tips and information. As you all know, that takes time and we will continue to do so until every lead has been followed through on. This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old. So I ask you to keep in mind that as I go through some of the specifics later.

But, at this point, currently, and this is another position -- another fact I want to be clear on -- we do not assess at this point that anyone else involved in this attack -- is involved in this attack, except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the subject you have already been briefed on. A little bit about what the FBI is doing. So we are surging people and

assets to the area from across the region and across the nation. Special agents in multiple field offices across the country have been deployed and are assisting with potential aspects of this investigation and following up on every lead.

Additional teams of special agents, professional staff and victim specialists continue to arrive to provide more investigative power and assistance to the victims and their families.

[11:30:00]