Biden and Trump give contrasting reactions to New Orleans attack
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President cautions against ‘jumping to conclusions’ while president-elect labels country a ‘disaster’. Joe Biden and Donald Trump have given drastically contrasting reactions to the deadly New Year’s Day explosions in New Orleans and Las Vegas that killed at least 16 people.
The US president cautioned against “jumping to conclusions” and expressed empathy for victims and the city of New Orleans, while his incoming successor sought to blame Democrats, “open borders” and institutions that he has vowed to purge, including the FBI, once he returns to office.
Speaking from the White House on Wednesday evening, Biden cited FBI reports that identified the suspected perpetrator of the attack in New Orleans’s busy Bourbon Street, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, as “an American citizen, born in Texas” who appeared to have been inspired by the Islamic State.
“He served in the United States army on active duty for many years,” Biden said in a four-minute address. The president also said he had been told by the FBI that Jabbar had posted videos on social media hours before the attack, which killed 15 people. The videos “indicat[ed] that he’s inspired by Isis, expressing a desire to kill”.
“The Isis flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack,” he said. “Possible explosives were found in the vehicle as well, and more explosives were found nearby.”. Biden said intelligence and law enforcement agents were working to establish if the suspect acted alone or had co-conspirators, adding that the investigation was “fluid”.
