but st. jude has gotten us through it. st. jude is hope for every child diagnosed with cancer because the research is being shared all over the world. ♪ ♪ >> julie: we are going to take a live look now in new orleans

where we are just moments away from getting an update from officials on the tragic attack in the french quarter which happened overnight. the fbi naming the suspect as 42-year-old shamsud din jabbar. a u.s. citizen from texas, we are told. they say he rammed his truck into a crowd, killing at least ten people and leaving 35 people hurt. the fbi adding that an isis flag was also found inside the vehicle. the feds are also looking into the attack as a possible act of terrorism. this is fox news live. i'm julie banderas. thanks for joining us today on this new year's day and this tragic story on this holiday. i'm julie banderas. >> jonathan: tragic indeed. i'm jonathan hunt. the horrifying incident happening at the intersection of bourbon and canal streets, one of the busiest points on it new orleans on any evening, let alone new year's eve, as it went into new year's day 2025. police say the driver went out

of his way to hurt people, even driving around barriers to get to them. that driver was eventually killed in a shoot-out with police that left two officers injured, although we understand they are thankfully at this point in stable condition. let's bring back in nicole parker, former fbi special agent and fox news contributor. and that's welcoming paul mauro, fox news contributor and former head of operations for nypd intelligence. great to have you here first, and let me pick up with you, nicole, first of all, it is fascinating, i think, to hear this was a u.s. citizen, obviously an arabic name, shamsud din jabbar. isis flag in the truck, obviously looking very quickly now into what if any formal affiliations he may have had with terror groups, but i am struck by the potential similarities, nicole, to that awful attack we saw in germany

just a couple weeks ago on the christmas market. that was a saudi arabia man who had been in germany for something like two decades. he was a permanent resident there and yet at some point, he was radicalized and decided he wanted to attack and kill civilians as they went about celebrating christmas, and it appears we have some potential similarities here, certainly in the sense this man just wanted to kill americans celebrating new year's. >> that's right. i do see some potential similarities committed think it is important to note there were individuals that were asking those in america and europe to carry out these types of terrorist attacks around the holidays, to wreak this kind of havoc. we saw it happening germany and now potentially happened here in new orleans, and it's absolutely tragic and horrific. i am glad that the fbi's, you know, stepped in, and there was some confusion early on with an

a sack saying it is not terrorism right after they have been told yes, it is terrorism, so the fbi is in there, and isis flag in the vehicle, heard the exact same information early on and there were i.e. deeds in the vicinity of the french quarter and also i heard there was certain substances in the vehicle that could be of concern, probably sent to a lab for further review but this is a reminder, things going welcome essay from a potential terrorist attack, absolutely are not, we have to keep our guard up at all times, but sugar bowl had a lot of security come a hard target,l to get in there. this come on the other hand, an open street at 3:00 a.m. in new orleans when celebrating new year's with barriers and barricades that weren't even properly in place, that's why we always have to be on alert, and again, we always think it is not going to happen here. you have to have your head on a

swivel. nowhere is safe. >> jonathan: nicole, it looks to me as though we are getting underway with this news conference there. i'm not sure we are actually hearing from anybody yet, it looks as though some of the technicians on the scene are preparing microphones, as they tend to do in the last few seconds of these news conferences. let me turn quickly to you, paul, and we may have to interrupt you here, but what do you want, what questions do you most want answered at this news conference? >> whether or not they are looking for other pieces that could be involved. you know, there could be others involved, i would characterize it as soft reporting at this point, so let's see what they say at this presser. i think that's the main thing for the investigators, and i think for the public right now, to know whether or not the threat is actually over or if the other shoe might drop and there are still some other pieces in the wind. >> jonathan: and paul, what do you make of these, what the fbi is now confirming isis links, but a u.s. citizen, so radicalized at some point, we

assume? >> yeah, reportedly a military vet, potentially ten years in the u.s. military, which might be where he gained some of these skills relative to ieds, although they didn't detonate, so thank god for that. it remains we have a situation like we had in fort hood, a military veteran who had rank and who had managed to get himself on the fbi's radar screen, slipped near the cracks and ultimately did that horrible shooting. that is one of the things they are going to be looking at here, was this guy on anybody's radar screen? did he have troubling contacts? was there any forums online? anyplace it could have been picked up? did anybody have a case on him? they are going to be looking at all of that. i think the take away here is what we have to remember is while the fbi has the primary ticket relative to counterterrorism, at the end of the day, the front line is the local cops. everybody has to work together. i don't know new orleans has a joint terrorist attacks force. i hope they do and i hope they are looking to harden up how they work together going i'm not

saying anyone did anything wrong here but the lesson is the threat isn't over and the federe to stay lashed up. >> jonathan: paul, thank you very much. we are going to pause for a moment to allow our fox news stations around the country to join us. as we await hear a news conference with local and federal officials we believe on the ongoing investigation into the tragic attack in new orleans. this is fox news live coverage of the terror attack, the news new year's day terror attack in new orleans. let's listen now to the officials. >> provide you with some facts and information. i know that all of you have a lot of questions, and we will try to provide answers, but this is an ongoing investigation that is rapidly evolving. so there are some questions i

will be unable to answer at this time. the fbi is the lead investigative agency and we are investigating this as an attack of terrorism along with our partners. today at approximately 3:15 a.m. central standard time, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd on bourbon street in new orleans. killing at least ten and injuring dozens more. after entering the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired on local law enforcement. law enforcement returned fire and the suspect was deceased at the scene. to law enforcement officers were injured and transported to local hospitals. but such suspect has been identified as 42-year-old shamsud din jabbar, a u.s.-born citizen from texas. he was driving a ford pickup truck that has been rented and we are working to confirm how the subject became in possession of this vehicle. and isis flag was located on the

trailer hitch of the vehicle, and the fbi is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations. weapons and potential improvised expose the devices, ieds, were located in the subjects vehicle. other potential ieds also located in the french quarter. as of now, two ieds have been found and rendered safe. the fbi -- law enforcement partners have been working to determine if any of these devices are viable and will work to render those devices safe. the fbi working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. [no audio] subjects associates peered we are working to ensure that there is no further threat to. we do not believe that jabbar was solely responsible. we are aggressively running on every lead, including those of his known associates.

that is why we need the public's help. we are asking if anybody has any interactions with shamsud din jabbar in the last 72 hours that you contact us. the fbi is asking the public's help. we are asking anyone who has information, video, or pictures, to provide it to the fbi. we have set up a digital tip line, as well as our 1-800 number, 1-800--call-fbi. please provide us with any information that can assist in this investigation. once again, thank you for your patience and assistance. for updated statements or information, please check the fbi's website and our social media accounts. i will now turn over to mayor cantrell. thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you, agent duncan, for your leadership and the full support of the fbi. first and foremost, i want to

express my deep, deepest condolences to the families and loved ones that were impacted by this tragedy on bourbon street near the heart of the city of new orleans. and i know that the entire new orleans city council grieves a long ride with me, no doubt about that, and our people and our families. my priority will continue to be to ensure that victims that remain on bourbon street now will be serviced and removed as soon as possible -- [no audio] necessary to make this happen. i also want to acknowledge hearing from president biden, all of our federal partners, but most importantly, colonel

governor landry this morning responded with haste and we say thank you and a demonstration of a unified support is right here in this room. that is how we collectively responded to this tragedy in the city of new orleans. the mission now is to facilitate, support, and coordinate safety procedures to keep our residents and our visitors safe. i have gone to the hospital, along with chief kirkpatrick to visit our police officers, and considering their injuries, they are doing well. as i mentioned, this investigation is ongoing, and the fbi remains the lead in the investigation. it is an active crime scene, as well. we are committed, no doubt, to uncovering all details surrounding this tragedy.

and we are taking every necessary step to put even more safety procedures in place, especially given the nature of the investigation. i'm going to ask people too, do not go around our secured area if there is no essential need to do so. it matters, and again, it is an active crime scene. i also want you all to know that the greater new orleans foundation has set up a fund to assist victims, and that information will be provided to you. thank you, gnof. again, i want this unified team, we will be relentless, and we will do everything that it takes to render real justice. this team will. i want to also just thank our

citizens for your heartfelt prayers. new orleans is a world-class city, and i can say that i have heard from world leaders all this morning and up until now, in addition to my brother and sister mayors across this country. they are calling. they are responding. and they are standing with the city underworld ends. and what they always say and want me to reiterate, they understand the resilience of this community. and we are strong in that regard. and i will say, second-to-none. so with that, i'm going to turn it over to our governor, and as i mentioned, who has not wavered any in leaning in and providing the necessary support and standing with me and i say thank you, governor, and i know the first lady is standing with us, as well. >> thank you, madam mayor. i want to thank the mayor.

since about 3:45 this morning, when she called me, we have all been working just around-the-clock to both secure the city and to solve this act. again come i want to reiterate our prayers go out with all of those who have been affected by this tragedy. i want to thank our law enforcement officers come i want to thank our medical personnel. i want to thank our first responders. most importantly, i want to thank the two new orleans police officers who not only laid their life on the line, what were able to eliminate the threat this morning. let me say, we have made public safety a state priority from day one, and i think you look around me today, right now, and you look at the people who are standing around, that is their commitment, as well. we intend to be transparent in assessing any defects that may have existed in the system so we

can address them. it's the only way to ensure that any mistakes were made are corrected. specifically, we have been trying and working very diligently to address security concerns in preparation for the super bowl since october. and it's interesting because -- or ironically, in preparation for the super bowl i had intended to issue an emergency declaration tomorrow, so that we could bring all of our federal, state, and local communities to bear in preparation for the super bowl and mardi gras. but because of the events today, i have amended that emergency declaration and issued it today. so again, that declaration will allow our federal, state, and local partners to bring all of the resources necessary to get this city safe.

in light of that executive order, i have also ordered the mobilization of a military police company. i have asked general free lou to mobilize a military police company to assist both new orleans police and lsp and the fbi. it is important for our citizens and guests of this state to know we are doing everything we can to secure their safety and the city. we want to make it clear, the superdome and the surrounding area is safe. but i have always said that the safety of this entire city is something that is always paramount to me. with that, i would like to turn it over to jeff with the super bowl committee. object only

jeff? >> good afternoon. obviously, we wish we weren't here for this reason today. the super bowl committee has a 90-year history of being a good corporate citizen for the city of new orleans, and that is why this tragedy hurts us as much as anybody right now, so our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families as we all work through this. of course, any time we have a major event in the city of new orleans, public safety is paramount, and we have full faith and confidence in the governor and the mayor and all the assets, the federal, state, and local resources that they have applied to this event so that we can ultimately bring those responsible to justice and carry-on with the major events that we have in front of us.

speaking of which, we were scheduled this evening to have a cfp quarterfinal played in the superdome at 7:45. we have been in consultation with espn, with the college football playoff, with the southeastern conference, with university of georgia, with notre dame, all parties and all agreed that it's in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours. work is fast about to set up a safe and efficient and fun environment for tomorrow night. there will be more details on that in the coming hours, but for now, that's the plan that we are going to move forward and play the game. again, we reiterate our thanks to everyone up here for the work, important work they are doing. we live in a fun and games world with what we do, but we

certainly recognize the importance of this comment we are going to support it 100%. thank you. >> i'd like to bring up senator kennedy. >> thank you, jeff. i wish i understood better why bad things happen to good pe people. if i make it to heaven, i'm going to ask. for those people who don't believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in our city early this morning. i am... if this doesn't trigger the gag reflex of every american, every fair-minded american, i'll be very surprised.

i'm here because these are my people. i'm here because these are my people's friends. i'm here because there are a lot of louisiana inns who are scared tonight. i don't want them to be. there is a lot of information going around. some of it is actually true. some of it isn't. the federal government is now in charge of this investigation. by that i mean the white house, the fbi, the department of homeland security and the department of justice. i have not talked to the fbi. maybe they have talked to my staff, i don't know. i did talk to the secretary of homeland security a little while ago. and i told him, with all the respect i could muster, that we expect to put the full force and

resources of the federal government behind this investigation. our state troopers, our local police departments, our sheriffs, we've got many sheriffs here today. they have been terrific so far. the federal government is cooperating with them. i hope that will continue. here's what i want to ask from the federal government. catch these people. catch these people. and then tell the american people the truth. now i don't want you to tell us yet anything that is going to interfere with your investigation, and there are things that i have been told that i think are true that i am not sharing with you today because it could interfere with their investigation. but after we get to the bottom of this, we need to tell the american people the truth, and the people of new orleans the truth, and the people of america the truth. i think the mayor and the governor are very wise to

postpone this ball game for 24 hours. there is just too much stuff we don't know, and it's just not worth it. i guess my final point is i will promise you this. i will -- when it is appropriate and this investigation is complete, you will find out what happened and who was responsible. or i will raise fresh hell, and i will chase those in the federal government who are responsible for telling us what happened, like they stole christmas. >> thank you, senator kennedy. congressman carter? >> thank you, governor, thank you, mayor, thank you, senator kennedy, thank you to all of our law enforcement agents for doing a human's job, for stepping up at a time when we needed you most.

for employing the resources of all of our partners. this is all hands on deck. from the white house all the way down. i have been in communication with the white house since early this morning. secretary mayorkas, leaders in all of our 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. i want to personally thank the men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line to protect our citizens and our visitors. to our mayor and our governor for acting expeditiously in bringing us all together, to our sheriffs from the surrounding areas who have been johnny-on-the-spot, recognizing that if it happens in new orleans, it can happen anywhere. we don't have the luxury of being myopic. in this community, we work together. we don't point fingers.

we don't blame. we go after the bad guys. let it be clear that the full faith and credit of the united states and every agency therein is on the ground, working, and for those who may have played a role in this horrific act of cowardice, we will find you. we will bring you to justice. new orleans is a place that heralds its ability to protect its citizens. that heralds its ability to manage major events. super bowl, sugar bowl, mardi gras, jazz fest, essence festival, you name it, no one does it best better than the enforcement in new orleans and in the surrounding area. kudos to those two officers who have been wounded. our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones. our hearts go out to those who are wounded and on the mend in

the hospital. citizens, now is the time to stay calm, to be vigilant. this is not a time to come out to sightsee. listen to your federal, local, and state officials. be vigilant. if you saw something, say something. if you know something, tell someone. there are tip lines, there is information available, please all hands on deck. rest assured the decision that was made to postpone the game was not that unlikely. it was done with one single thing in mind. public safety. making sure the citizens and visitors of this great city, not only for this event but for every event you come to in louisiana, that he will be safe and we will use every resource possible, as the governor has said, as the mayor has said, and every law enforcement agent here have said.

our energy, our commitment will be to make sure that you are safe. now and for every event in the future. and bless you, and let's stay strong. >> thank you, congressman. attorney general. >> i first want to extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the victims. parents got a phone call last night, this morning, early this morning, that no parent ever ever wants to receive. and as a parent, a parent of children who comes to new orleans, and spend time h here, i know that is something, we hold our breath sometimes until they are home safe because some people did not come home safe. entry also have some people who are fighting for their lives right now in the hospital. so i would ask everyone to pray for them. they need our support, and they need our prayers.

this was a heinous act. a heinous, cowardly act, and we will find them and we will bring them to justice. my office will be providing both investigative and prosecutorial support to the city of new orleans, the district attorney in new orleans, as i have done for months. we will continue to do that. we will provide the governor with whatever support he needs and the office of the governor's office of homeland security would ever support they need. i will be here to help. i will be here to stand with the city of new orleans. we will bring them to justice. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, governor. >> thank you, governor and mayor. for those who do not know me, my name is anne kirkpatrick. i am the chief of police of new orleans. my official title is superintendent, but my role is as chief of police. i know you have heard some of

the details today, and over the last 24 hours we had approximately 400 officers in the french quarter. and as we know, this is not just an act of terrorism. this is evil. and when we face evil, we have a choice. we can run in fear, or we can indeed stand in strength. at a time of crisis, people are looking for leadership. you are looking at the leadership. and i promise you, as the chief of police of this city, this city has been tried by fire before. but fire purifies. fire makes things stronger. we have a plan. we know what to do.

we are going to get these pe people. there is a path forward. very pleased that we will be back to having a wonderful game tomorrow night. new orleans police have proven their ability to make this city safer. just two years ago, we were the murder capital of america. today, from that time two years ago, we have driven our murder rate more than 50% down. so we have a track record, but this is different. because it is terrorism. now i want to thank all of our law enforcement partners. your fabulous, and we appreciate the partnership. but last night, three of our officers engaged this terrorist who shot at them.

three of the officers returned fire. those officers did not run in fear. i liked with the mayor said this morning. new orleans police and all law enforcement is built, we are built for dealing with evil, with things that would cause others to be in fear, but instead, our officers and last night and opd in particular stood strong, they did not run, they did kill the terrorist. we have two officers indeed who received gunfire. they will be okay. we have personally gone to see them. but this is leadership for you. and i promise, as the chief of police of this fantastic city,

that i will be strong and firm and fearless. thank you. >> thank you. and wrapping it up, i want to just close with a couple of things. i want to thank senator kennedy and congressman carter. i want to thank again all of our law enforcement officers out there. i want the families of the victims to know that i will be issuing an executive that tomorrow, when notre dame plays georgia, every flag of every state building in the state is going to be at half-mast. and remembering them come up remember a something else. these folks right here are going to make sure that justice is served. the citizens out there thinking man, do i want to go to the sugar bowl tomorrow? i tell you one thing, you're governor is going to be there. that is proof, believe you me,

that the facility in this city is safer today than it was yesterday. and we are -- and as become two additional events in the city,i know, and speaking with senator kennedy and congressman carter, and fbi come acting director, and incoming administration, that they are going to ensure that this city has the resources necessary to protect our citizens and our guests. and so with that, we will take some questions. >> if you could, we'll start over here with cbs. katie, we will work our way across the room. if i am missing, just give me a holler. >> good morning, cbs news. i mean, i think this has been a really tough day for a lot of people, but at this point, we are hearing that the death toll according to some fbi sources has gone up to 15.

is this true? >> who wants to answer? >> i can speak to that. unless you have a final note. we do not have a final number. we know that we have confirmed ten. but we did have people who had been transported who were in critical condition, and so i do not know that, but i can confirm ten. >> reporter: one quick follow-up question, if i may. we know there have been some local records in texas about a misdemeanor background on the suspect. any signs or warnings ahead of time about this person or their plans for what happened this morning? >> of course, that is the investigation part, i will give to the fbi. >> at this time we cannot go into details about the subject's history. what i can tell you that the person was an army veteran. we believe he was on a rarely discharged but we are working

through this process to figure out the information. the fbi is providing the most accurate and complete information so once that is confirmed we will let you know. >> reporter: as far as the victims, how many are from here in louisiana versus out-of-state out-of-state? >> at this time i cannot go into details about all of the victims. we want to make sure first of the family is notified appropriately before we put any information out there, so once again, these are all notified then we will go ahead and release a steaming to everyone. >> i would ask the press come in relation to the victims, and those in hospitals, could you refrain from worrying about them so their loved ones can take care of them and the medical personnel that are trying to get them to do so. as information comes available, but we want to respect the privacy of those who are still either fighting for their lives or being cared for. thank you. >> reporter: a follow-up come if i may. you guys mentioned accomplices, don't think the suspect acted

alone. about how many more suspects are you guys looking to at this point? >> it is a range of suspects, and right now we do not want to rule anything out, so that is why we are asking if anyone has had any interaction with the deceased subject jabbar in the last 72 hours, provide us with this information. you can provide that information to 1-800-call-fbi or a digital tips line which is available on our social media website as well as the big fbi website. >> who are you with? >> w esu. >> okay come and cbs. >> nbc is over here. >> that is unusual position. [laughter] >> i don't get it. >> you wouldn't. the fbi is not going to be able to answer those questions, okay? they will eventually. i promise you. okay? once the fbi has a chance to investigate all of this, along

working with state police, working with homeland security, working with the city of new orleans, they are going to tell you what happened. i can promise you that, or i'm going to raise fresh hell. but right now, they are in the process of trying to catch the other bad guys. and i'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt for a wh while. >> 26. >> reporter: i had a question about the victims. i know there was gunfire exchanged, so i guess how many victims were shot and then how many were injured -- >> look come again. let me reiterate both special agent duncan and senator kennedy. i get that you all want to know minute details. what we don't want to do is impede this investigation or spend any time talking about things that don't get us closer to hunting these folks down and securing the city. and so at a particular point in

time, we will release as much information as we can, but at this time, in relation to the investigation, i would ask you all to refrain from those. >> so ladies and gentlemen, we are going to just have more of the same come as the governor just said, we are going to provide information, but we are going to wrap the press conference now. hold on a second. let me finish. you weren't listening. if all of the questions are more of the same what the governor just said in position, we won't be doing that to provide that information. if you have a quick different question -- >> mine is different -- >> then let's do that and move on. [overlapping voices] >> than who was next read over here. >> hi, rachel will from "the wall street journal." confident our multiple suspect involved, what makes you --

>> why would we tell you that? again, we want to answer pertinent questions. but anything that would lead to impeding or endangering this investigation is not going to be said, okay? and we well, as information unfolds -- this is a very fluid, fluid process. and remember something, too. we are doing two things. we are hunting some bad people down and we are securing this city. getting ready for the sugar bowl tomorrow. so if you all would again, if you have questions regarding sugar bowl, the safety of the city, to that effect, we are happy -- >> over here. >> go ahead, alyssa. >> reporter: usually in parts of different parts of the city and bourbon street, there are bollards. we are hearing that some of those may have been down because of repairs. can you speak to that and maybe was there any backup option of putting a truck there or an nopd

car there? >> i'm going to let the mayor answer. that's one of the first things i thought of this morning. when the mayor called me. okay? and i will tell you that whatever the problem was, is going to be solved. >> thank you, governor. thank you, governor. and thank you for the question. i do understand it's been on your radar since this morning. as it relates to the bollards on bourbon street, over ten years ago, excuse me, okay -- over ten years ago, the city of new orleans implemented an infrastructure project placing bollards on bourbon street. thereafter, the malfunctions of those bollards ensued. from mardi gras beads on down. but the new orleans police

department, of course, deemed them inefficient because they did not operate the way that they were intended doing peered because the city of new orleans is hosting super bowl this year, it gave the city of new orleans an opportunity to go further and deeper with infrastructure improvements, as we have been talking about. so as a result of that, we were able to build in pollard replacement into our super bowl infrastructure package, and because of that the city of new orleans has moved forward with that infrastructure, and it is nearing completion. bollards were not up because they are near completion, with the expectation of being completed, of course, by super bowl -- before super bowl. that is the reason. now, the new orleans police department and chief, you can speak to the deployment to

respond to dynamic existing conditions. >> so we have been aware of the bollard situation for a long time, and we did indeed harden those target areas where the bollards are. we had patrol cars out there as a hard target, as well as with barriers. now i want to share with y'all, if you did not know, that this particular terrorist drove around, onto the sidewalk, and got around the harden -- hard target, where we did have a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there -- and they still got around. now the wages that you see out there, as well, we knew that that had malfunction problems. and i want you to understand -- and it got stuck. there is no way that ambulance could get in or out. people couldn't get in or out. so we knew these were

malfunction. so we did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it. >> reporter: a follow-up come if i may. >> let me just say this. we recognize we have a problem right here, right? we are going fix it. it is going to be a top priority as we go into the super bowl and mardi gras, and the solution that we are going to come up with is going to be a permanent one. it is going to be placed into the standard operating procedure of having major events and securing that quarter. >> reporter: follow-up, if i may. obviously sugar bowl postponed till tomorrow. i'm sure after that game, a lot of people are going 20 celebrate. other plans to keep bourbon street closed? what does that look like? >> right now, bourbon street is an active crime see. and the fbi is in charge of it. when they clear it, and it does not become an active crime scene anymore, we are going to open it up.

>> reporter: can we ask about the military police presence? this is private security like blackwater? also would that be a first at a private security firm is mobilized to supplement local and state law enforcement? >> no, no, no. these are our citizens that we bring in. it is a military police company that we recognize we need some more resources. we need some more boots on the ground. because again, what we are doing now is twofold. we've got an active investigation, and we've got enhanced security. before this event, we were just enhancing and working security, so we brought some additional resources. >> reporter: nbc news, thank you for holding the press briefing. i just want to clarify something first, talking about bollards that are being repaired, never replaced, and not working. was there a vehicle in place last night? where there things in place of those bollards that are being repaired?

>> chief says there was a plan in place -- >> that was indeed. >> anything that is currently in the midst of being repaired had backup replacement? >> had vehicles and officers were there, where all of those bollards, policies, have been, we have that. we knew, so we did have it, and like i said, in this particular case, the terrorist went all the way around up onto the sidewalk -- >> reporter: werther vehicles backing in it out to block the liftgate area or was that down and openly accessible? >> captain? the reason i'm calling the captain, he is the captain come over that district, and that isa questionably to let him address for you. >> good evening, everybody. i'm captain john roberts of the eighth district. yes, we did have strategically placed right in front of the wedge, preventing access onto the roadway. >> reporter: and in terms of the framework of security that was already in place, i know this has been an ongoing project

for improvement, but how that was all aligned, was someone getting up on a sidewalk considered impossible or nearly impossible, or was this not something you expected you would have to counter? >> of course, it wasn't something we expected to account for. the bollards are actually wages, they are strategically placed five locations throughout the french quarter. on the roadway. this particular terrorist drove onto the sidewalk behind the police car to gain access to the 100 block of bourbon street. >> reporter: so if you're worried about someone driving on bourbon street, why were you worried about some and driving on the sidewalk, bracing the same way? >> all right, look. we can go on what ifs forever. and... that guy could have easily gone down the sidewalk of canal street. where there were a ton of pedestrians on there, as well.

>> reporter: i'm asking -- >> hold on. i just want you to know, however, we recognize, i said earlier, that where there are defects in the system, we are going to be transparent, and we are going to address them with the city and make sure that we fill those gaps as best we can. >> reporter: with axios. i have a question about ongoing public safety today. special agent mentioned two possible ieds. were those in the same location, should residents of the french quarter or elsewhere be concerned about other situ situations? >> the two ieds that were in different locations, and what we have done, in conjunction with our local and state partners, we are conquering done a sweep to identify anything we thought was suspicious, and we have not, however, as i said before, if the public sees something, please reach out to us so that we can go through and verify

that we did not miss anything, but we conducted initial sweeps, i think starting shortly after -- >> i do want to share that we have a plan, and we have been implement in that plan. one of those plans is that we have swept all of these areas. the word swept means we have put officers out there as a grid, walking down the streets, every street in the french quarter, looking for suspicious packages, bags, ice chest, you name it, and they have been walking it as a grid. we have been doing the same thing on poydras and all of the accesses into the superdome. part of the safety plan is we have bomb dogs out there sweeping the superdome and all the exterior area, and we are locking that down. that will be locked down through the game tomorrow, so that's a part of that safety plan, and we

have already been implementing it. >> okay, thank you all. >> reporter: the governor, how many mks will be deployed? >> right now i think it is 100. reporter matt 100. >> yep. thank y'all so much. >> reporter: what gives you the comfort spotlight will be safe? >> i'm going to be there. [overlapping voices] >> julie: all hands on deck. those were the words of officials. you have local officials, state officials, federal officials all gathering together, asking, pleading for the public to step up. if you saw something, say something. if you know anything, report it to the fbi or to law enforcement. at this point the investigation continues not only in new orleans, but it stretches as far as texas, where this ford truck was rented from, driven from houston to new orleans. local law enforcement there talking about the ballard's that were not up at the time.

it is about a month away from the super bowl. they were preparing the new orleans area, the french quarter, to be the safest possible. they had police officers in place to avoid anything like this. they set the terrorist circumvented their backup plan. they say it will never happen again. they will find out how to prevent anything like this from ever happening again. but as of right now, ten people are dead, 35 people injured after a horrific new year nightmare at about 3:15 in the morning in the french quarter in new orleans. ten people are dead, and some of those injuries, i understand, jonathan, are critical and very serious. we will be watching the fallout there. the families have still been notified, so they're not releasing names of any of the people of the victims. >> jonathan: yeah, and i believe it was the attorney general of louisiana, julie, who said during that news conference that some of those injured are "fighting for their lives" right now.

a couple of other big headlines, obviously, from the news conference. what we have been reporting already to our audience is that the suspect in this, who was killed in a shoot-out with police officers, has been identified by the fbi as 42-year-old shamsud din jabbar. a u.s. citizen from texas. another headline, the sugar bowl that was scheduled for 7:45 local time tonight between notre dame and georgia has now been postponed for 24 hours. it will, we are told, take place tomorrow. also, one other point before we let our affiliate stations go. it was interesting, i think, to hear a few of the officials there, both on the federal and local level, refer to a number of suspects. one of them use the term several suspects. the fbi agent in charge, alethea duncan, set a range of suspects,

and troy carter, who is a democrat congressman from louisiana, said this, to directly those other suspects, ," we will find you, we will bring you to justice." the investigation and that attempt to bring anybody affiliated with this attack to justice continues. our fox affiliate stations are leaving us now. coverage continues on fox news channel. and this is our live coverage of the ongoing investigation into that terrible terror attack in the early hours of new year's day in new orleans. ten people are killed, confirmed killed, we just heard from the police chief there. others apparently fighting for their lives in the hospital right now. let's bring back in paul mauro, fox news contributor, former nypd inspector and an attorney, of course.

paul, what did you make of the news ? i was very interested to hear them repeatedly refer or at least imply there are several other suspects here. >> yeah, that was the main take away, i think. and they did not caveat that, although they only seem to have indications of the fact there are others involved. the fact they would come out so strongly and say public come help us, let's me know that they right now might not have anything solid, at least as they went to press, but you can guarantee they are scraping very hard at that. the way these things work now is you work backwards, you want to see associations peered my gut tells me they are seeing some associations and senator kennedy's language seems to imply to me that he feels may be there was a footprint that could have been picked up, if there are that many people involved, there is some indication of a cell, freeing at the edges, things get out, and i'm wondering, this is

speculation come i want to be clear, but given his body language, his language at the lectern, i'm wondering if they had something on the radar screen that maybe somebody wishes have been followed up. these things are very, very difficult to prevent. they always look good in 20/20 hindsight, but it sounds like we may discover there is more going on than was initially indicated. >> julie: nicole, we understand there are definitely more than one suspect, could be more than two, they do not know, of course they are not going to get that information out because they are very early onset of this investigation at it could potentially derail the whole investigation, but what say you about how quickly they assessed the fact that this guy was not working alone? it does seem that this truck did in fact change hands at some point because the vehicle was not rented by this person, it had been rented by somebody else, change hands. this person was the one who actually drove the truck to new orleans and actually committed the heinous crime of barreling into a crowd on

bourbon street, but those that facilitated the attack, they are still on the loose and that is why these investigators are hell-bent to bring justice. >> right. i picked up a few things from this press conference and i have to agree with paul, when the asa see alethea duncan come i actually know alethea, she was in fbi miami at the beginning of her career, she mentioned that jabbar come at they do not play jabbar was solely responsible. my personal intuition jabbar was not solely responsible. i think this is probably a very well orchestrated and complex attack. one thing i deftly picked up on was when senator kennedy said, look, we're going to give you time to conduct this investigation, and we want to be fair, because you can compromise an investigation, that is true. you always hear it is an ongoing federal investigation, we can't give comment. sometimes i'm not trying to be transparent, but sometimes it really is legitimate and you have to keep it confidential in order to not destroy -- getting

information that you need. it would not shock me if this individual was on someone's radar at some point, and the fact that he is demanding clear transparency, that's what americans deserve, and it's very tragic that this occurred. thankfully, we have not seen something like this, you know, very recently in the united states, but what i can tell you is having worked for the fbi, and having left the fbi, they gave full resources to january 6th capitol violence offenders, misdemeanors, and treated them with the highest level and full force of the federal government. and i sat there and watch that occur, and i sat and i said, you know, there has got to be some very serious terrorist activity when on behind-the-scenes, i sure hope the fbi is allocating those resources toward something like this. and again i cannot say that there is a clear, you know, link, but what i am saying is the americans do deserve full

transparency. the fbi does deserve to have time to conduct a full investigation. but this is what we need to be focusing on, and we cannot say, you know, january 6th capitol violence, it is still on the home page of the fbi's website must four years later, and i sure hope this was not on the fbi's radar because if so, there will be some serious questions that have to be answered because i can tell you how many resources they have dedicated towards other misdemeanor offenses when something like this was in the works. >> jonathan: all right, let's bring paul back in. paul, i am interested in the background of this attacker here. 42 years old. born in the united states. from texas. served in the u.s. army. now i'm assuming, paul, that one of the urgent questions that investigators need to look at here is was this person recently radicalized, or have they been, essentially, radical for a long time, but were part of some sort of sleeper cell? >> well, they are certainly going to be looking at that.

one thing is if the name is actually his birth name or did he change his name at some point, and that would be some indication that at one point he had some change of identity and maybe his ideological outlook. they will also be looking at what training he had in the military. was he trained in any kind of demolition work, which might have been how he attempted to build these ieds, which very fortunately did not detonate. so yeah, they're going to be looking at all of these things and it is going to be part and parcel of what i said earlier, which was was there a way to pick him up? almost always radicalized online, that is needle in a haystack stuff, especially with encrypted apps and all of the other avenues that are open to people interested in the sort of stuff, but that cognitive aperture, as it is called, people find their way into these forums. they have maybe a living down wife, things are going very well for them, and this provides an identity. they are going to be looking for that sort of narrative to see when it developed and who was there with him at the time. who was he in contact with?

who radicalized him -- because clearly he was radicalized come according to the reporting of what we've got so far. and i just want to mention one other thing. the similarities to the event here in new york city, which full disclosure i was on scene four, are really, really striking. vehicle that was rented, a crowd during a holiday, jumping out of the car armed with a gun, the guns were not real guns, turns out it was a start pistol. ices flag on the back of the truck. these are a lot of data points that track to that event, and i have a suspicion that when they get in there, rip his computer into of the other work, they're going to see he was probably a student of some of these things, and then they're going to ask themselves, could we have picked it up? >> julie: i mean, i think that is the question, could it have been prevented? we have heard about the bollards on the street, the physical blockades that could have potentially prevented this terrorist from driving up onto the sidewalk and mowing over

people, but paul, as far as prevention is concerned, part of our federal law enforcement's job is to prevent terrorists from following through, and we know there is a lot of cells in this country. we know with our immigration crisis that there are people here that want to do americans harm. we don't know the exact motive here. we don't know if this person or persons are involved in a larger terror organization, but the ices flag on the back of the truck says it all and the fact that you are saying this does parallel other attacks similar to germany, for example, and here in new york city, we know that these people have been in this country. this is an american citizen who once was in the army, and at some point, something went horribly wrong and he became radicalized, but how do you actually pinpoint these people from, you know, pointing them out and may be them before they are able very difficult in a first amendment society because you do have a right to free speec