FBI bomb technicians in New Orleans have successfully recovered two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that were placed in coolers in the Bourbon Street area. The suspect in Wednesday's deadly New Orleans crowd attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was seen on surveillance footage placing the IEDs in the area.
According to Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia with the FBI Counterterrorism Division, the IEDs were placed in the area hours before the attack, between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. One of the devices was found near the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans Street, while the other was located approximately two blocks away.
Raia confirmed that both devices were rendered safe on the scene. Despite initial reports of multiple devices, it was determined that only these two were functional. Investigators are still seeking information from individuals who knew Jabbar, as well as anyone who was in the French Quarter on New Year's Eve or early on New Year's Day.
Authorities are particularly interested in speaking with individuals who were near the IEDs in coolers on Bourbon Street. Raia emphasized that those who stopped to look at the coolers are not believed to be involved in the incident but are being sought as witnesses to provide information about what they saw.
