FBI agents and local law enforcement recovered bomb-making materials linked to the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans on Thursday at the suspect’s home in Houston, Texas, sources told ABC News.
The discovered items were also referred to as “precursor chemicals” by field agents, according to sources.
The items were discovered when agents executed a search warrant at suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s last known residence in Greenspoint, a small community in north Houston.
The FBI said Thursday that they no longer believe there are any other suspects in the New Year’s truck attack that killed 14 people and injured 35 others.
After reviewing all of the surveillance videos more closely, it appears that Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran who also died in the attack, placed explosive devices in the area before changing clothes, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
The FBI is still looking into whether Jabbar spoke with or messaged anyone prior to the early Wednesday attack, but no one was around to assist him, according to sources.
“Federal law enforcement and the intelligence community are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contacts in connection that could possibly be relevant to the attack,” Joe Biden, president, told reporters on Thursday.
Christopher Raia of the FBI, who described the attack as a premeditated “act of terrorism,” stated that there is no additional threat to the public.
On Thursday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry compared the investigation to a jigsaw puzzle.
Over 400 tips have been submitted, and investigators are going through Jabbar’s laptops and phones, Raia stated. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers have been “pouring over countless amounts of data, videos, surveillances, interviews, tracking down every possible lead,” according to Landry.
The FBI released new surveillance images of Jabbar in New Orleans on Thursday, just over an hour before the attack occurred.
Jabbar was photographed walking down Dauphine Street near Governor Nicholls Street shortly after 2 a.m., dressed in a light brown long coat, jeans, and brown dress shoes.
The FBI also released a photo of one of the coolers, which contained an explosive device that Jabbar allegedly placed near the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans Street.
Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans on Tuesday evening and posted several videos online “proclaiming his support for ISIS” and mentioning that he joined ISIS earlier this summer, according to Raia.
“There were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account, which are time stamped beginning at 1:29 a.m. and the last at 3:02 a.m.,” Raia told reporters. “In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers.'”
Raia reported that an ISIS flag was recovered from the truck’s back.
Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans told ABC News Live on Thursday that the death toll is unlikely to exceed 14 people. Sixteen people remain hospitalized at University Medical Center New Orleans, eight of whom are in intensive care.
Jabbar was “hell-bent” on killing as many people as possible, driving a pickup truck onto the sidewalk around a parked police car serving as a barricade and plowing into pedestrians, according to officials.
The suspect mowed down dozens of people along a three-block stretch of the world-famous thoroughfare while firing into the crowd, according to police.
Jabbar then exited the damaged vehicle, armed with an assault rifle, and opened fire on officers, according to police. He was also carrying a handgun, according to ABC News sources.
According to sources, officers returned fire, killing Jabbar, a citizen of the United States born in Texas. At least two officers were injured, one by gunfire and the other when pinned by the truck, according to authorities.
According to New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, security bollards were not working at the time because they were being replaced in preparation for next month’s Super Bowl.
Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers on Bourbon Street, Raia said. He had a remote detonator in the truck to detonate the two devices, Biden revealed.
“Those are the only two devices that we’ve been able to recover that were functional — both devices were rendered safe on scene,” the officer said.
The FBI’s New Orleans field office reported that search warrants were executed both in and outside of Louisiana.
One of the homes searched was in Houston. The FBI in Houston stated, “There is no threat to residents in that area.”
Raia encouraged anyone who knew Jabbar to come forward.
“While we have interviewed many people who know Jabbar, we still need to talk to others,” said the official. “Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you.”
He stated that police also want to speak with witnesses who were in the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve or early on New Year’s Day.
The FBI has cleared Bourbon Street, and authorities have the “confidence” to reopen it to the public before the Sugar Bowl on Thursday afternoon, according to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
The game was scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed due to the attack.
“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we’re ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city,” the mayor stated.
“Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the victims’ families,” she said later.
The FBI’s Raia stated Thursday that there appears to be no direct link between the New Orleans attack and Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is being investigated as a possible act of terror.
“They have not found any evidence of such a connection thus far — I’ve directed them to keep looking,” Biden told reporters on Thursday.
According to authorities, the Las Vegas driver was killed, and seven bystanders sustained minor injuries. The incident’s motive is still being investigated, but investigators told ABC News that they believe it was “intentional.”
Sources told ABC News that the Cybertruck, like the truck used in the New Orleans attack, was rented through the Turo app.
The Cybertruck driver had Army special operations experience, but there is no evidence that he and the New Orleans suspect knew each other, according to officials.