AUSTIN (Nexstar) – Just a few hours into the new year, a driver plowed a rented truck into a New Orleans street full of people. Investigators call it an act of terror. Law enforcement identified the suspect as Shamsud Din-Jabbar, an army veteran who lived near Houston.
The FBI released information indicating that Jabbar was inspired by ISIS, noting that an ISIS flag was found in the truck. President Joe Biden said during an address to the nation that Jabbar posted videos to social media “expressing a desire to kill.”
The deadly terror attack is also raising questions about a safety measure that had the potential to save lives, but was missing on New Year’s Day.
The safety barriers protecting New Orleans’ Bourbon Street were under construction, and not up, when a driver plowed into a crowd, killing 14 people. The incident is prompting City of Austin leaders to also consider safety bollards in highly trafficked areas, like Congress Ave.
The project to replace the city’s old bollards along Bourbon Street with newer stainless-steel bollards began in early November and was set to continue until January, according to the city’s plans posted online . Online plans showed the construction crews would be “replacing them with temporary asphalt to maintain vehicle access” during the construction.