President Joe Biden condemned the deadly vehicle attack in New Orleans as “despicable” on Wednesday evening but urged Americans not to jump to conclusions about the attack’s motives, despite the suspect’s claim of inspiration from ISIS.
Speaking from Camp David, Biden addressed the nation after the death toll in the horrific incident rose to 15, with authorities investigating it as a possible terrorist attack. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old from Texas, drove into a crowd of revelers in New Orleans’ iconic Bourbon Street.
“Our hearts are with the people of New Orleans after the despicable attack,” Biden said, offering his condolences to the city. “To all people of New Orleans, know I grieve with you and the nation grieves with you.”
He also expressed his gratitude to law enforcement for their swift actions in stopping Jabbar, who was reportedly intent on causing further harm. Biden confirmed that the suspect, an American citizen born in Texas, had served in the U.S. Army for several years and was in the Reserves until a few years ago, told NBC News.
The president revealed that Jabbar had posted on social media before the attack, stating that he was inspired by ISIS and had a “desire to kill.” Despite this, Biden cautioned the public not to “jump to conclusions” about the full circumstances of the attack, as the investigation was still ongoing.
In addition to the New Orleans incident, Biden mentioned that authorities were also investigating an explosion involving a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. Investigators were looking into potential links between the two events.
Biden did not address questions from reporters about whether he had spoken with President-elect Donald Trump regarding the incidents.