A North Carolina man suspected of planning a mass shooting at a large New Orleans festival was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition, authorities said.
Though the festival was not named, the widely known New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as JazzFest, is set to begin on Thursday through May 3.
The event celebrates Louisiana’s music, food and culture, and attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said.
TheChapel Hill man was wanted “by the Department of Public Safety for terroristic threats,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted online Thursday.
It said federal authorities had identified the alleged threat, without naming which agency. The FBI office in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Okaloosa sheriff’s office said the man was arrested without incident Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, in the Florida Panhandle.
The sheriff’s office “was contacted by federal authorities in reference to a male from North Carolina being in our jurisdiction while reportedly heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana,” the agency posted online.
The man was arrested as a fugitive from justice and will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges there, the sheriff’s office said. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.
Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Danny Berrincha stated the agency is still investigating the episode with the FBI.
“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” he added.
“Job well done!” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said, adding that the “coordination extended to law enforcement agencies in multiple states from North Carolina to Florida.”
