TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hundreds of thousands of people flock to Tampa for Gasparilla, the area’s largest event, every year.
As new security concerns are surfacing in light of the recent attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Tampa Bay leaders said they’re making safety a priority.
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Video from the FBI shows what they said is 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar on one of at least two trips to New Orleans in the months before the deadly rampage on New Years Day.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw says that same man spent three days in Tampa before the attack.
“I am aware of a report from the FBI that the man behind the New Orleans attacks traveled to the Tampa area,” he explained. “We are not aware of any threats at this time, but we are working closely with the FBI.”
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joshua Delmanzo said they’re now trying to figure out why Jabbar came to Tampa in the first place.
In the meantime, Delmanzo said the FBI will be stepping in to ensure Gasparilla doesn’t suffer the same fate.