New Orleans attack, Las Vegas incident not linked, FBI says

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia told reporters on Thursday afternoon that authorities did not see a connection between the two New Year’s Day incidents. The attacker who killed 14 people in downtown New Orleans on Wednesday was a U.S. Army veteran, he said. As of Thursday afternoon, the FBI believed the New Orleans attacker acted alone in the terrorist attack, Raia said. Federal officials had said on Wednesday that they believed other individuals were also involved in the attack.

What happened in Las Vegas? Later on Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck blew up in front of a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump. U.S. Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger was inside the vehicle at the time of the explosion, the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing anonymous law enforcement officials.

What else did the FBI say about the New Orleans attack? The New Orleans attacker rented a Ford F-150 truck in Houston, Texas, on Monday and drove it to New Orleans Tuesday evening, Raia said. While driving to New Orleans, he made several videos in which he expressed support for the Islamic State group.

The next day, the attacker placed several improvised explosive devices in coolers that he left scattered around the city, Raia said. Then he took the F-150 truck and drove it into a crowd of people gathered on Bourbon Street in downtown New Orleans. He left the car and opened fire on nearby individuals and police officers. He died at the scene.

Did the FBI discuss the attacker’s potential motives? In videos the attacker made before the attack, he said he considered killing his friends and family instead of strangers, Raia said. But the attacker wanted news coverage to focus on conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims, Raia said. The attacker left behind three cell phones and two laptops that FBI technicians were examining.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about a mass shooting that took place late on New Year’s Day in Queens, New York.