Trump Says New Orleans Attack Confirms His Rhetoric On Crime

President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that a deadly attack targeting New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana was evidence of his dire assessment of crime in America, pledging to “fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”

“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump wrote on social media. "Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones."

President Joe Biden, in his own statement, said the FBI is spearheading the federal investigation and examining the incident as an act of terrorism.

“I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,” Biden said. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities.”

Statements from the current and incoming presidents followed a horrific scene on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, where a driver rammed into a crowd of pedestrians around 3 a.m. on New Year's Day, killing 10 people and injuring 35 victims.

At a press conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” and the city’s police chief said the act was intentional.

According to the New Orleans Police Department, the driver stopped the vehicle and opened fire on local officers, who returned fire. The driver was struck and pronounced dead at the scene.

Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism in a statement Wednesday morning.

“The FBI, the ATF, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and will deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation.”

The FBI identified the suspect on Wednesday as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas. Jabbar was driving a Ford pickup truck with an ISIS flag, weapons and an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, officials said. The FBI said it is working to determine how the suspect attained the vehicle, which appears to be rented, and if the suspect is associated with terrorist organizations.

According to the FBI, other potential IEDs were also located in New Orleans' French Quarter. The FBI’s Special Agent Bomb Technicians are investigating if any of these devices are viable.

Louisiana officials announced that the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame, originally scheduled for Wednesday night, will be postponed for 24 hours. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has issued an emergency declaration that will allow federal, state and local partners to bring all resources for safety.

At a press conference, Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) said “all hands” are on deck from the White House to local agencies to investigate the incident. Carter said he has been in communication with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and leaders in federal, local and state agencies.

“The president has made it very clear that he intends to bring every resource to bear, to not only tell the truth, but to provide the resources to bring these cowards to justice,” Carter said.

Senator John Kennedy (R-La.) promised the public that they will receive specifics regarding the New Year’s Day attack.

"You will find out what happened and who was responsible, or I will raise fresh hell,” Kennedy said. “I will chase those in the federal government who are responsible for telling us what happened like they stole Christmas."