The FBI announced Thursday that while investigations into the recent attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas are ongoing, no concrete connection between the two incidents has been established.

“As you know, there’s also an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling everything out. However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” said Christopher Raia, Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “I’ll preface everything by saying this is still very early in the investigation.”

The New Orleans attack, which occurred early Wednesday morning on Bourbon Street, was carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier with ties to ISIS. Jabbar drove a truck into crowds celebrating New Year’s, killing 14 people and injuring over 30 before being shot dead by police.

Initially, the FBI suggested Jabbar may have had accomplices. However, in a reversal of earlier statements, Raia clarified Thursday, “We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack except for Shamsud-Din Jabbar.”

Jabbar had a history with ISIS, having pledged allegiance to the group earlier in the year. In the months leading up to the attack, he posted five videos on Facebook expressing support for the terrorist organization. The FBI also revealed that Jabbar left behind a will and testimony, indicating premeditation.

The FBI said Jabbar had initially planned to target his own family but shifted focus to a public attack to draw attention to the “war between believers and disbelievers.”

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Hotel on New Year’s Day, injuring seven people. The driver, Matt Livelsberger – a U.S. Special Forces soldier assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group – was killed in the blast. According to police, the explosion was triggered by fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel in the bed of the truck, detonated by a device controlled by the driver.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police credited the design and durability of the Cybertruck for preventing more extensive damage to the hotel. “The explosion went up and out,” McMahill explained. “I have to thank Elon Musk, specifically. He gave us quite a bit of additional information regarding how the vehicle was locked after it exploded, as well as video from Tesla’s charging stations.”

While both incidents have raised alarms, Raia said that “there is no evidence at this time to suggest the attacks are connected.” However, authorities are continuing to investigate all potential leads and are not ruling out the possibility of a broader network or shared motive.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)