NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Episode Date: January 2, 2025

At least 15 dead, 30 injured after New Orleans truck ramming attack; New questions about physical security measures after New Orleans truck attack; Louisiana Attorney General says Airbnb fire near New Orleans attack linked to production of explosives; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Breaking news tonight, the deadly New Year's truck attack in New Orleans being investigated by the FBI as an act of terror. The state of emergency in New Orleans after a speeding truck killed at least 15 people and injured dozens of others. The chilling surveillance video, the pickup driving onto the sidewalk to get around a police vehicle blocking off Bourbon Street and then plowing into the celebrating crowd after the impact, the driver getting out, opening fire on police and killed in a shootout. President Biden just moments ago addressing the nation, saying the suspect was inspired by ISIS and the feds are hunting for any possible co-conspirators tonight. The attacker identified as a U.S. citizen and an Army veteran from Texas. Found with the vehicle an ISIS flag, along with weapons and improvised explosive devices. Two other IEDs found in the French Quarter.

The attack coming just hours before tens of thousands were sent to attend the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The game now postponed. Also tonight, the deadly Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. The investigation, was this an act of terror too? And the deadly New Year's firework tragedy in Hawaii. Our special coverage begins now. This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening and welcome. It has been a busy night of breaking news, and the words Happy New Year don't come easily for many Americans tonight. Hearts are heavy across the country, burdened by anguish and sorrow following the deadly terror attack on one of this country's most cherished locales overnight. The death toll in New Orleans, now at least 15, after a pickup truck carrying an ISIS flag drove straight into crowds gathered on Bourbon Street in the city's famous French Quarter,

just hours into the new year. Along with the dead, dozens of people suffered injuries. The attacker, Shamsud Din Jabbar, killed in an exchange of gunfire with police, was an American-born citizen and served 14 years in the military. Law enforcement officials are leaving open the possibility he was not solely responsible in the attack. The story continues to unfold tonight on several fronts. We begin our reporting from New Orleans with Tom Yamas. Tom, where do things stand at this moment?

Lester, good evening. Tonight I want to show our viewers how that alleged terrorist got onto Bourbon Street. He came up with his white pickup truck along this street, Canal Street. That's the entrance to Bourbon right there. He jumps the curb and gets over a police car and then heads down Bourbon Street starting his killing spree and tonight we've learned his truck wasn't his only weapon he also had a firearm and an explosive device. In the opening hours of the new year terror on the streets of New Orleans cell phone video capturing the scene of bodies sprawled out along the city's famed Bourbon Street

the wounded being treated while still laying in the road. We're dealing with EMS right now. Right now we're working in a triage area. Video courtesy of EarthCam showing police racing towards the carnage where a driver plowed his pickup truck into the crowds in the historic French Quarter. In this video, you can see the truck getting around a police cruiser, blocking the entrance to Bourbon, then racing through the street packed with revelers, killing as many as 15 and injuring dozens of others. He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did. Police say the suspect started his attack at 3.15 a.m. local,

first using his car as a weapon, mowing people down at high speed on the three blocks between Canal and Conte Streets before crashing into a crane. He died in a shootout with police. This video capturing the sounds of gunshots. Two police officers were shot and injured. The guy in the pickup truck just punched the gas and mowed over the barricade and hit a pedicab, passengers. There were multiple cops on the corner. And there were just bodies and the screams. I mean, you can't think about, you know, unhear that. It was chaos and very, very scary.

The FBI, the lead agency on the investigation, identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsuddin Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. And they're still hunting additional potential co-conspirators. We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. The FBI says Jabbar was driving a rented Ford pickup truck. The FBI says also found in the truck, weapons and an improvised explosive device, plus two IEDs found elsewhere in the French Quarter were rendered safe. After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene.

According to Texas records, Jabbar had two misdemeanor charges in his past, one for theft and the other for driving with an invalid license. In a YouTube video posted four years ago, Jabbar identifies himself as a realtor and a Texas property manager. I'm born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and now live in Houston. In the video, he says he spent 10 years in the military as a human resources and IT specialist. The U.S. Army confirmed he served in the regular Army and then the Army Reserves. St saying Jabbar deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and ended his service at the rank of staff sergeant. President Biden today saying the FBI has been briefing him on the killer.

There are hours before the attack. He posted videos on social media indicating that he's inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill, a desire to kill. In New Orleans, Bourbon Street, now an active crime scene with authorities searching for answers. We need the public's help. We are asking if anybody has any interactions with Samsud Demjavar in the last 72 hours that you contact us. The FBI is asking the public's help. All right, Tom, back with me from the scene in New Orleans. Tom,

any sense of why this location for this attack? You know, Lester, that's the big question tonight. It's still unclear why this alleged terrorist chose New Orleans on New Year's Day for his attack. But one thing is clear. This place was packed with people, not only the partygoers that were having a great time on Bourbon Street last night celebrating New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, but also the Sugar Bowl that was scheduled for tonight. It's been postponed until tomorrow. That's going to be part of the investigation. Lester. All right, Tom, thanks very much. And as the tales of the attack become more clear, there are new questions about physical security measures that the city was in the process of replacing when it all happened.

Our Jesse Kirsch looks into what happened. Hours after that bloody attack on Bourbon Street, tonight, growing questions about the physical barriers used to secure the area. Devices known as bollards, typically short stainless steel posts, are often used in high-profile parts of cities and towns to help control crowds and vehicles. But early this morning on Bourbon Street, the bollards weren't there. New Orleans' mayor explained today that the system was in the midst of repairs. Bollards were not up because they are near completion with the expectation of being completed, of course, by Super Bowl. The game set to be played in New Orleans next month. The superintendent of police says other barriers like police vehicles and officers were in place to secure Bourbon Street on New Year's Eve.

But video shows how the attacker drove right around a patrol car. So we did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it. Anything that is currently in the midst of being repaired had a backup replacement for last night. Vehicles and officers were there where all of those bollards, ballasts have been. We had that. We knew. So we did have it. And like I said, in this particular case, terrorists went all the way around up onto the sidewalk. Was someone getting up on a sidewalk considered impossible or nearly impossible? Or was this not

something you expected you would have to account for? Of course, it wasn't something we expected to account for. New Orleans, the latest high-profile deadly ramming attack following the German Christmas market attack last month, the Berlin truck attack in 2016, and the one in Nice, France that same year. Jose Liris was visiting New Orleans and left the area just before the attack this morning. The metal barricades were not up, just the standard plastic ones like you see there. There was police there at the entrance, a lot of police there, but the metal barricades were not up. A city website showing what the new bollards may look like says the project is set to be completed next month.

But a nationally televised college football playoff game is supposed to be played here tomorrow night. New Orleans City Council member Helena Moreno says the city is ready. Do you think New Orleans can host a football game here this week safely? I'm going to tell you this, that right now so many resources are being deployed down to the city of New Orleans that no doubt about it, we will host a safe game tomorrow. Everything from federal resources, state resources, additional intelligence, you name it. It's like that's all happening. Jesse, let's talk a bit more about that game.

You're there at the Superdome this evening. What security measures or additional security measures are you seeing? You can see behind me police vehicles with their lights flashing. That's been the scene since this morning. But some things have changed. You see these hardened barricades along the curb? Earlier, they stopped back there. But tonight, Lester, they keep going to the end of

the block. All right, Jesse Kirsch, thank you. I spoke with Louisiana's Attorney General Liz Murrow a short time ago, and I began by asking if there was an active manhunt still underway. Well, there certainly is continuing to be an active investigation so that we can identify just how many additional individuals were involved. But I can tell you with some certainty that there are multiple individuals who are involved. There has been some reporting that there may have been individuals who were handling or replacing IEDs, explosive devices. Can you confirm that? Yes. And there was a house fire in New Orleans this morning that was connected to this event where we believe the IEDs were being made.

So you have a location where you believe the IEDs were being manufactured? We do. It was an Airbnb, so we know that these individuals had rented the house, were using it for that purpose, and then the other events unfolded early this morning. Under the circumstances, there might be others out there. Is it wise to go forward with the football game, the Sugar Bowl, even a day later? You know, not my decision, but I would like to see it delayed at least another day. If they asked my opinion, I would tell them that I think that it was a wise decision to delay it at least a day. This is an active crime scene. And, you know, they just finished removing some of the bodies and they still haven't removed all of them. I still think that we probably need to wait an extra day.

Is there a further threat to the community? No, I believe that the community is safe and there certainly are a lot of law. There is a huge law enforcement presence here in New Orleans. I believe that everyone is safe and the governor plans to attend the football game. Do you believe there will be full accountability for lapses in physical barriers or proper physical barriers at the crime scene? Yes, I think that, you know, absolutely there's going to be an after action and analysis of any failures that that occurred and anything that could have been done and wasn't done to secure that area. And if there's any lapses, then it will be fixed. Attorney General Merrill, we thank you for your time. Thank you for having me, Lester.

And we want to get more now from our Tom Winter, our law enforcement and intelligence correspondent. Tom, what will authorities be doing to investigate if there were potentially co-conspirators at work here? Sure, Lester. So the FBI is doing the same investigative work we recently saw here in New York City in the Luigi Mangione case, going block to block looking for video of what happened. And on video, they apparently saw individuals near two suspected homemade devices that are being investigated. But so far, no indication those people seen on video are involved. It could ultimately turn out that the vehicle driver did act alone. It's just too soon to say. Separately, authorities are looking into possible overseas travel to Cairo, Egypt.

He may have taken in late June, early July of 2023, and a possible trip to Toronto shortly afterwards to see if that has any connection to today's attack in New Orleans. Ultimately, they hope to determine if someone was directing the suspect or if he was just inspired by ISIS's ideology. Lester. Okay, Tom Witter, thank you. We'll turn now to another deadly incident being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, a Tesla Cybertruck exploding outside the Trump International Hotel, leaving the driver dead and injuring seven more. Officials say in this case, no known nexus to ISIS. And Morgan Chesky is there for us tonight. Morgan, officials briefed a short time ago on this case. What did we learn?

Yeah, Lester, according to three senior law enforcement officials briefed on this matter, they are investigating this as potential terrorism. And we have seen a massive presence from law enforcement that has secured off this Trump Hotel property here off the Las Vegas Strip. And all this is coming as evidence mounts that this Tesla Cybertruck fire was very clearly not an accident. Growing questions tonight into this Tesla Cybertruck turned inferno just feet away from the Trump International Hotel. The stunning scene on the Vegas Strip, now the focus of a broad investigation. Law enforcement officials confirming the cyber truck was rented from the same company as the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack. We're absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans,

as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world. We're not ruling anything out yet. The blaze called in around 840 this morning appeared to erupt in seconds witnesses describing hearing a loud noise followed by a smoky scene we saw a lot of smoke through the windows inside the vehicle fire crews discovered an unidentified body the burst of flames also wounding at least seven bystanders before it was fully contained tesla founder elon musk posting the the whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now, adding, we've never seen anything like this. Retired ATF agent Scott Sweeto says video evidence may be sounds in that video. And those whistling sounds are very consistent with the sort of fireworks that you could buy as a consumer and set off. Tonight, the Trump organization thanking law enforcement for their swift response as federal investigators dig in. Morgan Chesky,

NBC News, Las Vegas. In just 60 seconds, the deadly fireworks explosion as Hawaii rang in the new year and the inauguration and Jimmy Carter's funeral sent for this month. What's being done to secure them after today's attack? The deadly attack in New Orleans comes after months of FBI warnings that terror threats are on the rise in the U.S. Now, federal authorities are ramping up security ahead of some major events this month. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, the nation's capital is under heightened security out of what police say is an abundance of caution, though there is no specific threat.

With a slew of major security events this month in D.C., the January 6th anniversary, former President Carter's funeral, and the inauguration of President-elect Trump, federal authorities are on high alert. Well, the action is one of anger and frustration. While investigators have not yet determined the motive in the New Orleans attack, they say the suspect had an ISIS flag on his truck as he carried it out. There are also mounting questions about the Las Vegas explosion outside a Trump hotel. And in a sign of the growing danger, experts say the number of domestic terrorist attacks and plots against government targets alone motivated by political

beliefs in the past five years was nearly triple the previous 25 years combined. The FBI has also been warning the threat from homegrown violent extremists that are jihadist-inspired is surging. Since October 7th, though, that threat has gone to a whole other level. Add to that the unprecedented two assassination attempts this summer on then-candidate Trump. Today, President-elect Trump, who's here at Mar-a-Lago, commenting on the New Orleans attack in a social media post, praising the officers involved and pledging that his administration would fully support the city of New Orleans. Lester. Okay, Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. Now to another deadly New Year's tragedy, this one in Hawaii,

a massive fireworks explosion at a home in the Honolulu area, leaving at least three people dead and more than 20 others critically injured. Honolulu's mayor in a statement saying the blast appeared to involve illegal fireworks. Up next for us as we continue tonight with the Sugar Bowl now postponed, how security is being ramped up at sporting events after today's attack. The Sugar Bowl kickoff that was set for tonight in New Orleans has been postponed till tomorrow afternoon. David Noriega now on how the college bowls are stepping up security after today's deadly attack. Tonight, police on high alert at major New Year's Day events across the country.

In California, the Rose Parade kicking off just hours after the devastating attack in New Orleans, tinging this celebration with a sense of unease. I feel here, though, the security is pretty well beefed up in a sense, but New Orleans, I'm concerned. With more than a thousand law enforcement officers on scene to protect a crowd that could reach a million. We also have undercover personnel that are walking a parade route. We have technology in place to sense even bioterrorism events should that occur. A similar heavy police presence across the country. Ahead of tonight's Peach Bowl game, Atlanta police promising added precautions and deploying specialized units and additional personnel. The Philadelphia PD is closely monitoring areas throughout the city,

including the Mummers Parade. Less than two weeks ago, a similar scene in Magdeburg, Germany, leaving five dead and hundreds injured after a man drove through a Christmas market. With an event of this scale, where you have close to a million people gathered in a dense urban area, even if law enforcement does everything in their power, they can't account for every conceivable scenario. Security can only do so much. You have to really look at where the biggest crowd and the most vulnerability is going to be. You want to put all your resources and assets because that's the worst catastrophic event. Despite the uncertainty, officials saying this year's Rose Parade saw the biggest crowd since the pandemic. I hate to say this, but it kind of seems like it's out of our

control. But yeah, I mean, you can't stop living your life. A resolution for the new year after a tragedy that's become all too familiar. David Noriega, NBC News. When we come back, some final thoughts on this deadly New Year's Day in New Orleans. Finally tonight, the start of a new year is usually a marker of hope and new expectations, a chance to leave the past behind and embrace the future. Mass killing, terrorism, we've been down this road far too many times. The anguish, the blame, and the accompanying rhetoric already starting to ring familiar. What happened in New Orleans is not how anyone imagined 2025 would begin, or how it could potentially define how we will remember this year in its entirety.

A year so young, but already deprived of the hope and new beginnings this day should bring, especially the hopes of so many who crowded Bourbon Street in a rite of joy and celebration, only to suffer or die in an act of pure and lasting terror. That's nightly news for this Wednesday. Thank you for watching everyone. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.