Tag: Killed

Moments after New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called Wednesday’s tragedy a “terrorist attack,” FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan said, “this is not a terrorist event.”

But it’s not alarming to see officials “not maybe perfectly connected on how they’re going to message this and present it to the public at this early hour,” former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told CNN Wednesday morning.

It’s possible the mayor used the term “terrorist attack” colloquially – without reflecting the FBI’s formal definition for terrorism, said Juliette Kayyem, CNN’s national security, intelligence and terrorism analyst.

But for the FBI to determine an act was terrorism, “you have to prove a certain kind of intent,” Kayyem said.

The FBI defines domestic terrorism as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”

The agency defines international terrorism as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).”

The mayor and the FBI agent did agree on which agency is now leading the investigation: the FBI.

The FBI “investigates many things for the purpose of determining whether or not they are terrorist acts,” McCabe said. “They could still be in the phase of trying to make that determination for themselves.”

New Orleans – and specifically the French Quarter, the city’s vibrant historic center where Bourbon Street is located – was still in the throes of New Year’s celebrations when the vehicle ran into a crowd early Wednesday.

Crowds had gathered to attend an open-air concert and New Year’s countdown, with restaurants offering special deals and performances, according to the city’s official website. LGBTQ parties featuring dancing and drag cabaret were taking place elsewhere on Bourbon Street, the heart of the city’s gay community – just blocks from where the incident took place.

Many celebrations had been aimed at college football fans descending on the city for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which is scheduled to take place Wednesday — including a parade that had taken place Tuesday.

On Monday, the New Orleans Police Department had said it would be staffed “at 100 percent” during the festivities, adding it had 300 additional officers assisting from partner law enforcement agencies.

It would also work with local, state and federal partners to provide security coverage citywide, the police statement said, adding that they would deploy “a strong presence of marked and unmarked police vehicles, as well as officers on foot, bike, and horseback.”

And on Tuesday, police said they would deploy drones around the 8th District, where the French Quarter is, throughout the New Year’s Eve festivities and Sugar Bowl events.