PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 2nd, 2025: ISIS Inspired Terror Attack Strikes New Orleans & Tesla Cybertruck Explodes Outside Trump Vegas Hotel

It's Thursday in two January, 2025 in case you were wondering about the year. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, we'll discuss the terror attack in New Orleans early on New Year's Day.

by a US Army veteran who had pledged allegiance to ISIS. The attack left 14 dead and 30 injured. Then we'll turn to another potential active terror in Las Vegas, where a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with fuel canisters and other explosives exploded outside the Trump International Hotel, Las Vegas,

on New Year's Day, killing the driver and injuring seven. But first, our afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with the tragic New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans, where a US Army veteran, flying an ISIS flag from a pickup truck, drove through a crowd of revelers, killing 14 and injuring 30.

The horrific scene unfolded during New Year's celebrations around 3.15 in the morning on Wednesday on the always-popular Bourbon Street. That's a historic tourist spot, of course, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year's Eve parties. The suspect steered around a police blockade and sped at high speed through a crowd, slamming into dozens of people and leaving a trail of carnage in his wake.

After crashing the truck, the attacker exited the vehicle and opened a fire with a long gun on police, injuring two officers before being killed. That's according to a report from the Associated Press. The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shamso Dingebar, was a U.S. citizen from Texas, who once served in Afghanistan.

FBI investigators say he had recently, quote, pledged allegiance to ISIS and posted five videos to social media shortly before the attack, expressing a, quote, desire to kill. According to his ex-wife's husband, he had recently converted to Islam and had begun behaving erratically. In one of the videos, Jabar said he originally planned to harm his family and friends

but was concerned that media coverage would not focus on the, quote, war between the believers and the disbelievers. He also said he had officially joined the Islamic State sometime before last summer. At a press conference on Thursday, the FBI's Deputy Assistant Director said, quote, this was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act, end quote. And for that, the FBI is the winner of the PDB Statement of the Obvious Award.

In his rented truck, which he reportedly drove from Houston to New Orleans on the 31st of December, authorities found an Islamic State flag, weapons, and a potential explosive device. Two other explosive devices were found in the French Quarter of New Orleans and rendered safe by police. Now surveillance footage since reviewed shows Jabbar placing those explosive devices on the streets of the French Quarter earlier in the day.

The FBI had originally said Wednesday that they did not believe that he acted alone. Officials conducted a thorough search of the city and spent hours at the attacker's home in Houston. But as of Thursday morning, no additional arrests were known to have been made. And later on Thursday, FBI officials said that they now believe the attacker did act alone.

But the presence of the ISIS flag and multiple explosive devices has raised the prospect that the international ISIS terrorist group may have played a role in the attack above and beyond simply radicalizing or inspiring the attacker. Officials with the FBI urged anyone with information to come forward and said that they're working aggressively to run down every lead.

Among the victims was the mother of a four-year-old who had just moved into a new apartment, a finance worker from New York, and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi. The two officers injured in the firefight are said to be in stable condition and recovering at a local hospital.

The attack led city officials to postpone the Sugar Bowl College football playoff game scheduled for Wednesday until today, and that's being played less than a mile from the scene of the attack. The city reopened Bourbon Street on Thursday as the investigation continues beefing up security ahead of the game.

Local officials are under scrutiny now regarding security measures in the city for the New Year's Eve celebrations, a barrier system that was meant to prevent vehicle attacks was not in place as it was reportedly being repaired in preparation for the Super Bowl, which will be hosted in New Orleans in February of this year.

Instead, patrol cars and barriers were used to block vehicular traffic. The terrorist is said to have driven a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk to get around the temporary barricades, so not really barricades. New Orleans police superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said, quote, we did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it, end quote. She added, quote, this is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil, end quote. Now,

Not to play armchair quarterback on this one, but failing to have proper barricades set up and working around the French Quarter ahead of such a massive event as New Year's Eve and the planned next-day college football game seems to indicate that the plan that the police chief is referring to was at best inadequate and not thought through. I'm being diplomatic there.

saying that your first-tier security barrier system was being repaired in preparation for this Super Bowl in February when the authorities knew well in advance the size of crowds and the always present potential for a terrorist attack during a large-scale public event is, well, nonsensical.

Sorry to start out the year on a churlish note. Coming up, it will turn to another potential act of terror in Las Vegas, where a Tesla cyber truck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel on New Year's Day, killing one, the driver, and injuring seven. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Continuing our coverage of New Year's Day attacks in the United States, a Tesla Cybertruck explosion occurred outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The blast killed the driver and injured seven others and prompted an FBI investigation into whether it is an act of terrorism.

The explosion took place just before 9am and forced the evacuation of the Trump International Hotel. Surveillance footage captured the dramatic moment when the explosion occurred, appearing to originate from the rear of the Cybertruck. First responders arrived within minutes to extinguish the blaze and discovered a charred truck bed filled with fuel canisters and more than a dozen firework mortars.

It's worth noting that the president-elect was not at the property at the time. Authorities have identified the cybertrucks driver as Matthew Livisberger, an active-duty army green beret stationed in Germany and on leave in Colorado. He reportedly rented the vehicle in Denver before driving into the Las Vegas hotel.

Law enforcement is currently investigating whether or not the incident in Las Vegas is in any way related to the attack in New Orleans.

Both incidents involved vehicles rented through the peer-to-peer, app-based car-sharing service Tarot, prompting federal investigators to explore whether the events were part of a coordinated effort. In a statement, Tarot assured full cooperation with law enforcement and emphasized that neither renter had a criminal background. However, the FBI was careful to note at a news conference today that as of now, there is no definitive link between the two incidents.

The explosion comes as President-elect Trump prepares to return to the White House, of course, in less than 20 days. In November, Trump tapped Tesla CEO Elon Musk to co-lead a Presidential Advisory Commission, the Department of Government Deficiency. The sheriff of the Las Vegas Police Department stated in a press conference, quote, obviously a cyber truck. The Trump Hotel, there are lots of questions that we have to answer, end quote, looking into a potential motive for the explosion.

While officials stress that there is no immediate danger to the Las Vegas community, the fact that there were two mass casualty events in the same day understandably has the nation on edge. It's a sad and worrisome start to 2025.

And that my friends is the PDP afternoon bulletin for Thursday to January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDP at the first TV dot com. And of course, to listen to the show, add free. Well, it's very easy to become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDP premium dot com. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.