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All 14 people killed in New Orleans terrorist attack identified • Louisiana Illuminator

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All 14 people killed in New Orleans terrorist attack identified • Louisiana Illuminator


NEW ORLEANS — All 14 people killed in Wednesday morning’s terror attack on Bourbon Street have been identified, either through family members or verification from the local coroner.

LaTasha Polk, 47, of New Orleans was the final person whose name was unknown until family members confirmed she had died to The Times-Picayune. She was celebrating New Year’s Eve in the French Quarter with her brother, Prentiss Polk, who is still missing, according to the report.

BBC News confirmed Edward Pettifer, 31, of England was also among those killed. He was the stepson of  the former nanny for Prince William and Price Harry..

Orleans Parish Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna did not share Pettifer’s name Friday when he released the names of 12 of the deceased, citing the wishes of his family. The remaining victim, Polk, was identified only as a Black woman on the coroner’s list. 

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As of Friday, McKenna said he has yet to release the body of Shamsud-Din Jabbar at the direction of federal investigators.The 42-year-old Texas native tore through a three-block section of the French Quarter in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

More than three dozen people were injured, including two New Orleans police officers who were shot during a gunfight with Jabbar, who was killed after firing at law enforcement after he crashed his rented Ford F-15o pickup truck into a lift vehicle.  

A large crowd gathered Saturday night for a vigil ceremony at a memorial site that has materialized on Bourbon, just feet from where Jabbar entered Bourbon Street. Flowers, crosses, stuffed animals and candles are being placed next to a hydraulic street barrier, which wasn’t in place ahead of New Year’s Eve.

Other fatalities

Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi. The Times-Picayune reported she had accompanied her cousin and friend to the French Quarter for New Year’s Eve, her mother said.

Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, of Gretna. He graduated from Archbishop Shaw High School in 2021 and was remembered as a bright and promising young man, according to the school representative.

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Martin “Tiger” Bech, 28, of New York. Bech was a graduate of St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette who graduated from Princeton University, where he played on the football team. KLFY-TV in Lafayette reported Bech worked for a financial firm in New York.  His brother Jack, who played for LSU before transferring to Texas Tech.

Reggie Hunter, a Baton Rouge father of two, is pictured in a photo his family provided for a GoFundMe page.

Reggie Hunter, 37, of Baton Rouge. WAFB-TV reported the father of two made a last-minute decision to travel to the French Quarter with his cousin, who was also struck by the truck and injured.

Kareem Badawi, 18, of Baton Rouge. The 2024 graduate of Episcopal High School was a student at the University of Alabama. WAFB-TV reported the school sent a message to parents Wednesday about Badawi’s death. His classmate, Parker Vidrine, was also injured in the attack.

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Nicole Perez is pictured with her son, Melo, and his birthday cake.
Nicole Perez of Metairie is pictured with her son, Melo, in a photo posted on a GoFundMe page.

Nicole Perez, 27, of Metairie. The Times-Picayune reported she was the mother of a 4-year-old son and was recently promoted to a manager at the deli where she worked.

Drew Dauphin, 26, of Montgomery, Alabama. He was an engineer who worked for Honda, according to a report from AL.com. 

Matthew Tendorio, 25, an audiovisual technician at the Superdome from Carriere, Mississippi. His family has created an GoFundMe donation page to help cover the cost of his funeral. 

Billy DeMaio, 25, of Homedel, New Jersey. He was an account executive with Audacy Inc.

Terrence Kennedy, 63 of New Orleans. WDSU-TV first confirmed his death in the attack. Kennedy’s family told The Times-Picayune he had gone out for a drink in the French Quarter to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

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Brandon Taylor, 43, of Terrytown. The Times-Picayune reported that Taylor was with his  fiancée at a club in the 300 block of Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning. He stepped out onto the street near a lift vehicle just before Jabbar crashed his truck into it. It’s believed Taylor was the last person he struck.

Elliot Wilkinson, 40, of Lafayette. His brother, Cecil, posted on his Facebook page that he was notified Friday morning that his brother was among the fatalities. KPEL-FM reported that the Orleans Parish coroner had contacted the family.

The injured

The University of Georgia, whose football team took part in the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game against Notre Dame, confirmed that one of its students was critically injured in the terror attack. WBBH-TV confirmed the student is 19-year-old Elle Eisele of Fort Myers, Florida.

Eisele’s high school classmate, Steele Idelson, 19, was also hurt. She is a student at San Diego State University.

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Adam Coste, an employee of the National World War II Museum in New Orleans,  suffered “extensive injuries to his lower extremities,” according to a friend who created a GoFundMe page to help with medical expenses. He identified Coste as an Army veteran.

Jeremi Sensky of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was paralyzed from the waist down before Wednesday’s attack. He was in his wheelchair going back to his French Quarter hotel room after dinner when Jabbar’s truck struck him on Bourbon Street, NBC News reported. He sustained two broken legs and needed surgery.

 

Alexis Scott-Windham of Mobile, Alabama, was struck by Jabbar’s truck then shot in the foot when he exchanged gunfire with police, The Times-Picayune reported. Her friend, Brandon Whitsett, was also hit by the truck and suffered multiple injuries. Two others in their group received minor injuries.

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Two visitors from Mexico were also among the injured, WVUE-TV Fox 8 reported. Both are in stable condition at a local hospital, and the Mexican consulate in New Orleans is working to keep their families informed.

ABC News reported that two Israeli nationals were injured. Israel’s consulate is sending a representative to New Orleans.

Lone actor

Jabbar posted five videos on his Facebook page in the two hours before he made his fatal drive down Bourbon Street. In one video recorded while he was driving from Houston to New Orleans, Jabbar said he “joined ISIS before the summer,” FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia said at a news conference Thursday. 

The pickup Jabbar drove was rented Monday in Houston, and he made the trip to New Orleans on New Year’s Eve. Investigators believe he built improvised explosive devices at a short-term rental property 2 miles from the French Quarter.

One of the IEDs was found inside the pickup truck, which featured an Islamic State flag on a pole attached to its trailer hitch. The FBI said Friday a working remote detonation device was also found inside the truck.

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Raia said surveillance video shows Jabbar placing a cooler with a homemade bomb inside at the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans streets and a second device two blocks away. Both were safely detonated after the French Quarter was cleared and police swept the neighborhood for evidence and other explosives.

“Precursor chemicals” for bomb making were found in the mobile home where Jabbar lived in north Houston, according to the FBI. Agents broke down the door of the residence Thursday and returned to the site Friday in search of more evidence.

The FBI is saying their investigation to this point indicates Jabbar acted alone in planning the terror attack. Agents do not currently believe there are any links between the incident in New Orleans and Wednesday’s explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.

The driver of the truck, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, left notes on his iPhone praising President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk and criticizing Democrats, the FBI said. Livelsberger committed suicide before the explosion, according to investigators.

This report was updated at 8 p.m. Saturday.

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Nussmeier, Weeks Named Louisiana Players of the Year

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Nussmeier, Weeks Named Louisiana Players of the Year


BATON ROUGE – LSU’s quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and linebacker Whit Weeks were top honorees on the 2024 edition of the All-Louisiana College Football Team announced by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

Nussmeier was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while Weeks was named the state’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Running back Ahmad Hardy of ULM was named the freshman of the year. Tulane wide receiver Mario Williams, was named the newcomer of the year for first-year Louisiana players. Coach Michael Desormeaux, who led the Ragin Cajuns to the Sun Belt Conference championship game, was named the state’s top coach in 2024.

The team was chosen by a group of voters from state media relations and communications office and selected media based on nominations made by each University. School media relations voters could not vote for players from their own school.

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Nussmeier, who finished his junior season Tuesday with an MVP performance in the Texas Bowl, through for 3,735 yards and 26 touchdowns during the regular season. His 312 completions ranked No. 2 in LSU history, while with his bowl game his over 4,000 yards passing also ranked second. He topped the 300-yard mark eight times, including a career best 409 yards versus South Alabama. The Lake Charles product had five games with three TDs or more.

Weeks, a sophomore linebacker from Watkinsville, Georgia, earned defensive honors after a first-team All-SEC season that saw him lead the Tigers in tackles with 119. He was ranked No. 3 in the SEC and No. 11 nationally in total tackles and tackles per game (9.92). He had a career best 18 tackles in the overtime win over Ole Miss and 17 tackles versus both Oklahoma and Alabama.

Will Campbell was a first team offensive line selection, with Kyren Lacy named a first-team wide receiver.

On the second team offense was lineman Emery Jones and tight end Mason Taylor. The second team defense for LSU was represented by lineman Savion Jones, linebacker Bradyn Swinson and defensive back Zy Alexander.

Damian Ramos was named the second team kicker.

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Two teams representing offense, defense and specialists were selected with ties allowed for position allowed on the second team as necessary. The complete All-Louisiana selections:

LSWA ALL-LOUISIANA TEAM
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
POS/NAME/SCHOOL/CL/HOMETOWN/NOTES
OL/Landon Burton/Louisiana/Sr./Lafayette, La./First Team All-SBC
OL/Will Campbell/LSU/Jr./Monroe, La./First-Team AP, Walter Camp, AFCA All-America
OL/AJ Gillie/Louisiana/Sr./Natchitoches, La./First Team All-SBC, HM All-America (CFN)
OL/Shadre Hurst/Tulane/So./Cartersville, Ga./First Team All-AAC, HM All-America (CFN)
OL/Evan Roussel/Nicholls/Sr./Lutcher, La./SLC OL of Year, Second Team AP FCS A-A
TE/Terrance Carter/Louisiana/So./Killeen, Texas/First Team All-SBC; 48 rec., 4 TDs
WR/Tru Edwards/Louisiana Tech/Sr./Shreveport, La./First Team All-CUSA; 77 rec., 897 yds, 6 TDs
WR/Kyren Lacy/LSU/Sr./Thibodaux, La./Second Team All-SEC; 58 rec., 866 yds, 9 TDs
RB/Ahmad Hardy/ULM/Fr./Monticello, Miss./SBC Freshman of Year; 1,351 rush yds, 13 TDs
RB/Makhi Hughes/Tulane/So./Birmingham, Ala./AAC RB of Year; HM A-A (CFN); 1,372 yds, 13 TDs
QB/Garrett Nussmeier/LSU/Jr./Lake Charles, La./3,735 pass yards; 26 TDs; 3 rushing TDs
 
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
POS/NAME/SCHOOL/CL/HOMETOWN/NOTES
DL/David Blay/LA Tech/Jr./Levittown, Pa./First Team All-CUSA; 46 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks
DL/Ckelby Givens/Southern/Jr./Shreveport, La./SWAC Co-Def. POY; Buchanan Award finalist; 28.5 TFL
DL/Patrick Jenkins/Tulane/Sr./New Orleans, La./First Team All-AAC; 30 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks
DL/Jordan Lawson/Louisiana/Jr./Brandon, Miss./Second Team All-SBC; 38 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks
LB/Andrew Jones/Grambling/Jr./Marrero, La./SWAC Co-Def. POY; Buchanan Award finalist; 20.5 TFL
LB/K.C. Ossai/Louisiana/Sr./Conroe, Texas/First-Team All-SBC; 110 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 INT
LB/Whit Weeks/LSU/So./Watkinsville, Ga./First Team All-SEC; 119 tackles, 10.0 FGL, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT
DB/Keydrain Calligan/Southeastern/Sr./New Iberia, La./All-SLC; 39 tackles, 1 INT
DB/Tyrone Lewis/Louisiana/Sr./Hammond, La./Second Team All-SBC; 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 4 INT, 1 FR
DB/Keyon Martin/Louisiana/Sr./Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Second Team All-SBC; 50 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INT
DB/Wydett Williams/ULM/Jr./Lake Providence, La./Third Team All-SBC; 100 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 FR, 3 INT

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS
P/Finn Lappin/McNeese/Fr./Melbourne, Australia/All-SLC 1st Team; 46.1 avg; 21 punts 50+; long 60+
K/Kenneth Almendares/Louisiana/Sr./Clute, Texas/Lou Groza Winner, First-Team A-A; 1st FBS 27 FGs
RS (tie)/Darius Lewis/Southeastern/Sr./New Orleans, La./First Team All-SLC; FCS leader 18.5 yds per ret. RS (tie)/Rayshawn Pleasant/Tulane/So./West Monroe, La./Second Team All-ACC specialist, 2 KR TDs

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
Vote – Nussmeier 10.5; Ben Wooldridge (UL) 8.5; Makhi Hughes (TU) 8; Ahmad Hardy (ULM) 1; no vote 1

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Whit Weeks, LSU
Vote – Weeks 14, Andrew Jones (GSU) 5, Eli Ennis (Nich) 3, K.C. Ossai (UL) 3, Tyler Grubbs (TU) 2, Ckleby Givens (SU) 1, no vote 1

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FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Ahmad Hardy, ULM
Vote – Hardy 14, Darian Mensah (TU) 9, Caden Durham (LSU) 5; no vote 1

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – Mario Williams, Tulane
Vote – M. Williams 11; Wydett Williams (ULM) 9; Warren Peeples (SLU) 6; Vincent Paige (SU) 2; no vote 1

COACH OF THE YEAR – Michael Desormeaux, Louisiana
Vote – Desormeaux 14; Jon Sumrall (TU) 7; Terrance Graves (SU) 4; Bryant Vincent (ULM) 3; no vote 1
 
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
OL – Derrick Graham, Tulane (Jr., Lake Minneola, Fla.); Emery Jones, LSU (Jr., Baton Rouge, La.); Cole LeClair, McNeese (Sr., Middleburg, Fla.); Josh Remetich, Tulane (Sr., New Orleans, La.); Brockhim Wicks, Southeastern (Sr., Plaquemine, La.).
TE – Mason Taylor, LSU (Jr., Plantation, Fla.)
WR – Darius Lewis, Southeastern (Sr., New Orleans, La.); Mario Williams, Tulane (Sr., Tampa, Fla.)
RB – Joshon Barbie, McNeese (So., New Orleans, La.); Daylon Charles, La. Christian (Sr., Gueydan, La.); Collin Guggenheim, Nicholls (Sr., Kenner, La.)
QB – Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana (Sr., Pleasanton, Ca.

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Logan Brimmer, La. Christian (Sr., Boutte, La.); Savion Jones, LSU (Sr., Vacherie, La.); Rasheed Lovelace, Nicholls (So., Pensacola, Fla.); Warren Peeples, Southeastern (Sr., Stone Mountain, Ga.)
LB – Eli Ennis, Nicholls (Jr. Ohatchee, Ala.); Blake Gotcher, Northwestern State (Sr., Little Elm, Texas); Bradyn Swinson, LSU (Sr., Douglasville, Ga.)
DB – Zy Alexander, LSU (Sr., Loreauville, La.); Bailey Despanie, Tulane (Jr., Lafayette, La.); Khamron Ford, Southeastern (Sr., Olive Branch, Miss.); Yusef Leak, McNeese (Sr., Orlando, Fla.); Tyree Skipper, Louisiana (Jr., New Orleans, La.); Jacob Wilson, Centenary (Fr., Shreveport, La.)

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS
P – Alex Mahler, Southeastern (So., Vacherie, La.)
K — Damian Ramos, LSU (Jr., Baltimore, Md.)

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Louisiana AG to launch full review of New Orleans security plan after Bourbon Street attack: report

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Louisiana AG to launch full review of New Orleans security plan after Bourbon Street attack: report


Louisiana’s top attorney plans to open a full review into the security planning that went into the Sugar Bowl and New Year’s Eve as concerns continue to mount about whether New Orleans officials could have done more to prevent the deadly attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens more, according to a report.

NOLA.com reported that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she plans to make a formal announcement on Monday about the full review, noting that New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has pledged to provide her complete support and cooperation.

New Orleans locals and visitors have been questioning why a temporary barrier intended to prevent cars from entering Bourbon Street, where Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a New Year’s crowd in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, was set down instead of up, allowing vehicles to pass. 

The temporary metal barriers were installed on Bourbon Street and other areas of the French Quarter in mid-November as the city was in the process of removing old bollards and replacing them with stainless steel bollards. That work was expected to continue through January.

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NEW ORLEANS BARRICADE OVERSIGHT IN ‘TARGET AREA FOR TERRORISM’ DURING PRIME SEASON RAISES CONCERNS

Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill speaks to the media during a press conference on January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Attorney General of Louisiana Liz Murrill )

Official recommendations for New Orleans’ security measures in the French Quarter, as part of a $2.3 billion infrastructure project that began in 2017, included the installation of new bollards on Bourbon Street to prevent mass casualty events that the FBI identified as a potential threat in the popular tourist area.

Security recommendations for the area included street cameras, a central command center, better lighting and high-quality bollards that are also used by the U.S. government near its official buildings.

NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED

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Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street

Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Orleans and Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans.  (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Former FBI official Bill Daly, a security and risk management adviser, told Fox News Digital that the “Achilles’ heel” in the Jan. 1 tragedy was that the temporary measures used on New Year’s Eve did not provide the same level of protection as was previously intended, designed and envisioned in the 2017 report. 

“Temporary barricades are used extensively. They’re used, for instance, by the New York City Police Department in Times Square, to close off all the side streets leading to Times Square,” Daly said. 

He explained that in New York City, authorities place cement blocks on the sidewalk and in the middle of the street as temporary barricades, and also use some vehicles like garbage trucks and dump trucks to block the road.

NEW ORLEANS TERROR SUSPECT’S BROTHER SAYS ATTACK IS SIGN OF ‘RADICALIZATION’: REPORT

A barricade on Bourbon Street (right) is back up on Jan. 2, the day after the terrorist attack, while a barrier on another street in the French Quarter (left) appears down on Jan. 2.

A barricade on Bourbon Street (right) is back up on Jan. 2, the day after the terrorist attack, while a barrier on another street in the French Quarter (left) appears down on Jan. 2. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

Along with the investigation from Murrill, some city council members said they plan to conduct their own investigations into the security measures that were in place on the morning of the attack.

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Murrill told NOLA.com she has spoken with City Council member Helena Moreno as well as District Attorney Jason Williams and other officials, adding that she intends to speak with others about her plans for a full review into security.

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“Everyone is committed to getting a complete picture of what was done or not done and, importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again,” she said.

Murrill’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin, Garrett Tenney and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.

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VIDEO: FBI shares footage showing New Orleans terrorist in French Quarter before deadly rampage • Louisiana Illuminator

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VIDEO: FBI shares footage showing New Orleans terrorist in French Quarter before deadly rampage • Louisiana Illuminator


NEW ORLEANS – The FBI has released video — some of it obtained from terrorist Shamsud-Bin Jabbar — that shows him in the French Quarter in the hours before he killed 14 people and injured dozens more, and his view as he rode a bicycle through the historic district exactly two months earlier.

The footage comes from French Quarter surveillance cameras and scenes Jabbar recorded on Meta glasses in October, during what the FBI said was the first of two trips he took to New Orleans before his early New Year’s Day massacre. 

Authorities recovered three homemade bombs they said Jabbar placed in small coolers, including two that he’s seen on video placing on Bourbon Street. One of the explosive devices was found in the pickup truck he drove after he sped through a crowd of pedestrians and was killed in a shootout with police.

Also recovered from the truck was what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms considers a remote detonation device. Jabbar, a 42-year-old IT professional and U.S. Army veteran from Texas, could have used it to set off the bombs had New Orleans police not responded soon enough, ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said during a news conference Sunday.  

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The FBI compiled all of the footage it shared into a single video that’s nearly four minutes long. The timestamps that follow detail the content of the segments:  

0:00 – Jabbar recorded footage on Meta eyeglasses Oct. 31 during his bike ride in the French Quarter and Canal Street. The FBI said Jabbar was wearing Meta glasses early Wednesday, but there is no indication he used them to record or live stream his attack. 

1:36 – Jabbar recorded himself wearing Meta glasses looking into a mirror at a home investigators say he rented during his October trip to New Orleans.   

1:41 – French Quarter surveillance video recorded at 1:53 a.m. Wednesday shows Jabbar with a blue cooler that investigators said had an improvised bomb inside. The FBI said Jabbar left it at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Peter streets, and it was found a block away at Orleans Street after “multiple unknowing Bourbon Street visitors grabbed the cooler’s handle and moved it.”

2:20 – At approximately 2:20 a.m., surveillance footage shows Jabbar leaving the second explosive device inside a “bucket-style” cooler at Bourbon and Toulouse streets. The video shows him standing next to a trash can receptacle as visitors walk and dance around him. 

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At one point, Jabbar is seen waving his hand while looking down Bourbon Street, then he walks away from the cooler. Investigators did not address who or what Jabbar might have been waving to or why during Sunday’s news conference. 

2:42 – A still image from surveillance video clearly shows Jabbar walking down Governor Nicholls Street. The FBI said he was returning to his truck to pick up the second cooler. The brown long coat he is seen wearing was recovered from the truck at the scene of the deadly attack.   

3:00 – Jabbar is seen on surveillance video walking up and down Governor Nicholls Street. 

Federal investigators provided an update on their continuing investigation Sunday, saying they still believe Jabbar acted alone. However, they continue to look into trips they say Jabbar took to Egypt and Canada over the summer. He also traveled to the Atlanta and Tampa, Florida, areas. 

Lyonel Myrthil, the FBI’s special agent in charge of its New Orleans office, said investigators are trying to determine who Jabbar might have come into contact with during his travels.

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Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she has asked the Biden administration to provide an expert who can assess the city’s terrorism vulnerabilities ahead of the Super Bowl, which takes place Feb. 9 at the Superdome, and Mardi Gras. 

Carnival season officially begins Monday and culminates on Fat Tuesday, March 4.

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