Donald Trump says America is a ‘disaster’, blames Democrats for the New Orleans terror attack that killed 15
The New Year has begun with carnage in the United States with a pickup truck rampage killing 15 in New Orleans and a deadly Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas probed as a possible act of terror.
President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have condemned the attacks, however the Republican pointed blame directly at Democrats.
Key Events
Trump says ‘USA is breaking down’ after New Orleans attack
President-elect Donald Trump has made his first comment after a terror attack killed 15 people in New Orleans and a Cybertruck exploded outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
“Our country is a disaster, a laughing stock all over the World!” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This is what happens when you have open borders, with weak, ineffective, and virtually non-existent leadership.”
Mr Trump heavily criticised the Biden administration, saying they have failed to protect Americans.
“The DOJ, FBI, and Democrat state and local prosecutors have not done their job.,” he wrote.
“They are incompetent and corrupt, having spent all of their waking hours unlawfully attacking their political opponent, me, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent scum that has infiltrated all aspects of our government, and our nation itself.
“Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen to our country.”
Mr Trump called for action to save the USA, saying the county is “breaking down”.
The CIA must get involved, NOW, before it is too late.
The USA is breaking down - A violent erosion of safety, national security, and democracy is taking place all across our nation,” he wrote.
“Only strength and powerful leadership will stop it.
Finishing his post, Mr Trump wrote: “See you on January 20th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Mass shooting at New York nightclub
Just hours after 15 people were killed in a horrifying terror attack in New Orleans, 11 people have reportedly been injured in a mass shooting at a New York nightclub.
New York Police Department officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Amazura nightclub in Queens shortly after 11pm on Wednesday local time.
Videos on the popular personal safety network app Citizen showed shocked bystanders hiding in shops, with tables barricaded against windows and emergency services racing to control the situation.
It is understood that 11 people were injured, with three victims turning up at a hospital seeking urgent medical attention.
FBI raid ‘location’ possibly connected with attacker
The FBI has raided a “location” that is possibly linked to Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who drove a rented vehicle into crowds of people in New Orleans.
The “location” that has been raided is in Houston, Texas, where Mr Jabbar was born.
“FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are continuing a court-authorized search of a location near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive,” the agency said in a statement.
The FBI added the search may take some time and they expect to be on the scene for “several more hours”.
Airbnb and car rental app linked to terror attack and Cybertruck explosion
Explosive devices that were associated with the terrorist attack in New Orleans are believed to have been manufactured in an Airbnb that was rented for their creation.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill spoke on an NBC news program, alleging that the Airbnb had been booked by a person “for that purpose”.
A New Orleans city council member earlier confirmed that Shamsud-Diun Jabber was staying in an Airbnb.
The vehicle Mr Jabber used when he drove into crowds of New Years revealers was hired through a vehicle rental site called Turo.
The platform allows users to rent out their privately owned cars to others.
Turo confirmed both the vehicle used by Mr Jabber, and the Tesla Cyber truck that exploded outside Trump Hotel in Las Vegas were rented through their platform, but added they did not have information that would have led them to believe either renter was a “security threat”.
Police swarm Vegas street as man barricades himself in bus
Police have swarmed a bus in Las Vegas hours after a Cybertruck exploded outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels in the tourist mecca.
Members of the public were warned to stay away from the area after a man barricaded himself on the bus near Fremont Street and Charleston Boulevard.
Las Vegas police, SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were all on the scene, according to local media.
The incident was first reported to police as a person armed with a knife.
It is not known if there is any connection to the Cybertruck incident, which is being investigated as a possible terror attack after the discovery of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel connected to a detonation system controlled by the driver in the Tesla.
Police say the suspect has been taken into custody without incident.
French offer support to “sister city” after terror attack on Bourbon Street
The people of Nice, France know first-hand what the community of New Orleans are going through after a terrorist drove a car through a crowd of New Year’s revellers, killing 15 and injuring dozens more.
The city in the south of France was rocked by terrorism when a 19-tonne truck was driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglaise, killing 86 and injuring 434 others.
Nice Major mayor, Christian Estrosi offered condolences to the town’s “sister city” after the tragedy.
“The tragedy in New Orleans, a sister city of Nice, very painfully recalls our own,” he wrote.
“Our thoughts go out to the families and the lives mowed down in mid-New Year’s celebrations.”
French President Emmanual Macron also posted a tribute for New Orleans, a city he said is “so dear to the hearts of the French”.
No Aussies known to be involved in New Orleans tragedy: DFAT
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says, at this stage, no Australians are known to have been involved in the New Orleans incident.
Diplomats are closely monitoring the situation after the violent attack.
“Our heartfelt sympathies are with the victims and their loved ones,” a DFAT spokesperson said.
“The Australian embassy in Washington DC and the Australian consulate general in Houston are engaging with US authorities and partners on the ground.”
Smartraveller, the government’s travel advice service, has posted links on social media to reliable local information about the incident but the overall advice to exercise normal safety precautions in the US has not changed.
Australians who need emergency consular can contact the government’s 24-hour emergency centre on 1300 555 135 (within Australia) or +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).
Australian couple narrowly avoid disaster in New Orleans
An Australian couple has revealed they narrowly avoided the horrific terror attack in New Orleans’ after capping their anniversary celebrations in the French Quarter only hours prior.
Adelaide expats Patrick Khoo and Christina Bellantoni travelled to New Orleans for their 10th wedding anniversary and told The Advertiser they had been celebrating in the area just moments before the terror attack that killed 15 people.
Mr Khoo told the paper they could have easily been among the victims of the terror attack had they not decided to end their night when they did.
“We are grateful we made the decision to go home,” he said.
The husband and wife made it back to their accommodation “about two hours before it all happened”, and were asleep when Shamsud-Din Jabbar sped through Bourbon Street
“It was pretty crazy to wake up to a bunch of text messages from people checking in,” he said.
“It’s definitely scary to think that if we’d been there.”
MARK ALMOND: Is Islamic State planning a new wave of attacks in the US and the West?
Almost a quarter of a century on from the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, America is once again haunted by the risk posed by global terrorist groups.
Nothing as grotesquely spectacular as 9/11 has happened again, but the carnage in New Orleans is a grisly reminder that ghostly Islamist terrorists still lurk in Western societies, even across the Atlantic.
The mayhem caused by the attacker came out of the blue, at least from the perspective of the local authorities and police. But from the first news of the attack, Islamic State websites have been echoing with sick celebrations of the violence.
This alone suggests that it was not the work of a lone wolf claiming to be an agent of IS, but was in fact organised from abroad by its underground HQ in the Middle East.
Have US authorities and intelligence services taken their eye off the ball on domestic terror?
Have the American public became too complacent about the risk back home?
Both New Orleans, Las Vegas cars rented through same company
Both cars used in the New Orleans terrorist attack and the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion were rented through the peer-to-peer car sharing platform Turo, the company has confirmed.
Turo officials told the New York Times they did not believe the renter of either truck “had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat.”
The owner of the Ford pickup truck used in New Orleans recognised his vehicle in news footage of it. He said he was using Turo as a second income stream but did not plan to use the platform after the attack, according to the NYT.
Las Vegas police confirmed the Tesla Cybertruck that had exploded outside Trump International Hotel - killing one and injuring sevem others - was also rented via Turo.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill said it was a “coincidence” and that officials would continue to investigate any possible connections between the incidents and possible terror cells.
