Local law enforcement expert provides insight into New Orleans terror attack

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The FBI has begun an investigation into what they’re calling a terrorist attack in New Orleans.

Officials said Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck at a high speed into a crowd of people in the city and was killed after a shootout with police.

“Individuals utilize high-profile events in order to get global attention to their grievance,” law enforcement and security expert Todd McGhee said. “I am not surprised, it is shocking to hear the news, but I am not surprised an event like this would have unfolded in such a place with such activities and events.”

The incident happened toward the end of New Year’s celebrations, and hours before the kickoff of the Allstate Sugar Bowl college football playoff game, which was postponed until Thursday at 4 p.m. 

According to ABC News sources, surveillance video showed several people planting potential explosive devices before the truck attack, which lead the FBI to believe the driver of the truck was not acting alone.

FBI officials also confirmed an ISIS flag was located in the back of the suspect’s truck, though they’re still investigating the suspect and what kind of connection he may have had to the terror group.

“There are pockets of our society that are in a very dark place and they are on a pathway of violence and they justify violence in order to basically settle those grievances,” McGhee said.

Many people have questioned the barriers set up around heavy areas of foot traffic in the city’s famed French Quarter.

McGhee said the way New Orleans handles big events is much different that how officials here in the northeast would normally handle a similar situation.

“What they’ll utilize for resources are the the wooden horses, you have a wooden 2×6 that straddles an A-frame type of wooden structure,” he said. “For our big large-gathering events here in Massachusetts and the northeast, we’ll use Department of Public Works equipment and heavy front-end loaders.”