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FBI: Suspect Was U.S. Citizen From Texas, Had ISIS Flag In Truck; FBI: Potential IEDs Found In Truck & Other Locations In Area; New Orleans City Councilman Jean-Paul Morrell, (D), Discusses New Years Deadly Attack & High Alert Ahead Of Sugar Bowl. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired January 01, 2025 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:30:00]

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME & JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Now, the FBI also in this additional statement has put up, has set up a tip line that I think it's important. They're trying to get people who may have seen something to -- to try to call in tips, any pictures, anything that they may have seen.

The tip line is FBI.gov/BourbonStreetattack. And the FBI says that there they are looking for anything, anything that they think the public can provide.

Now again, this suspect is 42 years old. He's a U.S. citizen from Texas. And this is where -- from our own information, we have identified, he rented the truck from another private owner.

And so that is part of what this investigation now leads, which is back to Texas where there are additional clues the FBI is trying to determine.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It's clear, Paula, as we are looking forward to a scheduled press conference in about a half hour from law enforcement and from the feds, they've been pulling on a lot of strings and they've found a lot of information.

But there's also still a lot that is outstanding as well.

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: So many questions. I think one of the big questions is what Evan was just talking about, any associates he was talking to, not just anybody who could potentially be involved, but the kind of information you can get.

Particularly, any association to ISIS. Because was this someone who was just infatuated or inspired, or is this someone who is trying to or had successfully develop an association with that group?

I think there's also going to be a lot of tough questions, not just about the suspect, but also about law enforcement and how they prepared for last night, the security preparations, or lack thereof.

Because this is exactly the type of incident that law enforcement is worried about on a big holiday. So there are going to be a lot of questions about that. I think a lot of follow ups to the reporting, Evan was just sharing about these explosive devices.

And then, you know, taking this even further away from even the briefings, I think this is something the incoming Trump administration is really going to have to contend with, because we haven't heard a lot about ISIS-affiliated or ISIS-inspired attacks. Certainly not as much as we did at the end of the Obama administration.

But as this new administration comes in, it's an important reminder that, you know, the terrorist threat, both domestic and foreign, still exists, and it's something they're going to have to contend with.

PEREZ: And just one quick thing to add to what Paula just mentioned. I mean, given the fact that there was a recent vehicle-borne incident, again, a terrorist attack in Germany at a Christmas market

(CROSSTALK)

PEREZ: Right after that happened, one of the things that that happened was the FBI, DHS and others put out notices to police departments around the country saying, be -- be aware that this is something that there could be copycats, that something like this could happen here.

Especially around the holidays, big things coming, especially in Washington with the with the Inauguration. Everybody has been warned and everybody should have been on guard to make sure a vehicle-borne attack could not happen.

KEILAR: And that's often what happens. There will be an attack somewhere. There has been in Europe. That's part of the reason why you have New Orleans years ago, instituting it's barrier system because of an attack in France.

This is -- they look at what happens in other places. They say, what if that happened here? What do we need to do?

Evan and Paula, thank you so much to both of you. Really appreciate it.

KEILAR: I want to bring in now New Orleans city council member, J.P. Morrell.

All right. Here I am with you on this camera.

J.P., thanks so much for being with us.

We are just learning, obviously, the identity of the attacker.

First, though, I want to I want to talk to you about these barriers that we were just talking about here with Evan and Paula.

Because that's one of the reasons that New Orleans had them was because of an attack in France. We just saw one in Germany. We covered it extensively -- it was horrific -- here on this show.

Were those barriers that are capable of keeping cars out of the area, were they up at the time of this attack? JEAN-PAUL MORRELL, (D), NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL MEMBER: Well,

actually, the barriers were in the midst of being repaired and replaced.

But in actuality, in this instance, the individual circumvented the barriers by going on the sidewalk and getting past the area where they had police vehicles, where the barrier where the repair barriers were at.

So in this instance, even had the bollard barriers been up, the circumvention by riding on the sidewalk would have defeated them.

There is absolutely an after-action report going on to the New Orleans Police Department to see what other things should have been in place, were in place, were circumvented, whatever. They're looking at that right now.

But right now, the city is just still reeling from this horrific terrorist attack.

KEILAR: A lot of questions there because I mean, questions about how effective those barriers were in the first place. I think obviously we have a lot more to learn about what happened in that case here.

But I do want to ask you, as we're learning about the identity of this individual, a U.S. citizen from Texas. They had possession of an ISIS Flag. What else are you learning? What questions is this raising for you?

MORRELL: Well, I mean, I think it's -- it's very interesting, kind of like in a disruptive kind of nature of technology. The vehicle was rented off of a vehicle rental site that wasn't a traditional one.

[13:35:05]

The individual, from what we understand, was in an Airbnb, and that's where they, I guess, stayed before they came and instituted the attack.

And when you look at, Brianna, all these different kinds of decentralized ways that citizens of our -- of our country kind of get around, had this person went to a Hertz rental car, who knows if they -- based upon the information we heard, they would have got a rental car.

If this person had been required to stay in a hotel when prepper -- when prepping for this, had -- would they have been discovered at the hotel, obviously, potentially getting ready to do this attack?

I mean, it's just a lot of different -- as you said previously, there are a lot of different threads law enforcement is going through to try and uncover what happened.

But they're also just a lot of different ways people these days can get around the country and do a lot of things with minimal oversight and interaction or opportunities for law enforcement to intervene. KEILAR: And of course, Council Member, you had a lot of people there

in the French Quarter celebrating the new year there, also packing New Orleans because the Sugar Bowl is scheduled to happen today.

Is that going to go ahead at the Superdome today?

MORRELL: My understanding from -- from BCS, from Sugar Bowl officials that the Sugar Bowl will go on as it's previously scheduled to go.

I think the -- our country has really made a point of, during these types of attacks, not trying to let them define how we live our lives.

What I will say and what I think hasn't put it put out there is Bourbon Street is an active crime scene. Bourbon Street, which is like the -- the signature street of New Orleans, will not be available for people to use.

Whether the Sugar Bowl goes on or not, because law enforcement has a lot to get off of Bourbon Street.

So the city plans on supporting the BCS, supporting our federal partners. If they believe it's safe to go on with the Sugar Bowl, we're going to go with the Sugar Bowl, because we're not going to let terrorists define what we do with our freedoms.

But on that token, it is an active crime scene in the French Quarter. I absolutely expect that people who are revelers or locals, you need to be patient because, obviously, there's been a lot of checkpoints, a lot of information being gathered.

And I stress patience. But the vast majority, if not almost all of the people injured, we're actually local New Orleanians.

KEILAR: Yes.

MORRELL: We're struggling with that. We had two officers that were shot.

I really want to thank -- our NOPD was really on the ball because the actual truck itself was a weapon of mass destruction. But that individual did not really get the opportunity to emerge from the car with whatever he had planned next, because our NOPD neutralized him fairly, extremely quickly.

KEILAR: Yes.

MORRELL: And we have two injured officers. They are in stable condition. But we're praying for them.

But we, as a city, we're struggling from this attack, and we're going to continue to step forward and be the resilient city we've always been.

KEILAR: You do get the sense this could have been much worse.

Council Member, I want to ask you, because Mardi Gras is just around the corner and you have people from all over descending on New Orleans for that.

A lot of questions about how to proceed with that without serious protective measures in place. As you said, these bollards, these large sorts of stanchions that we're supposed to stop vehicles from getting in, and you're raising questions about how effective they might have been, period.

They're being repaired, as you say. How do you proceed with Mardi Gras without that resolved?

MORRELL: Well, Mardi Gras, as you know, is not really in the French Quarter. It's across the city of New Orleans. But I do think that, absolutely, in the wake of this attack, things are going to be very different for these next events, whether it be Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl or Mardi Gras itself.

I think that, for example, for our Mardi Gras parades, usually, there's multiple routes across the city. Where to do Mardi Gras parades? We're already having conversations at a very high level.

Well, how do we change that? Maybe we have one very secure route that Mardi Gras goes down. We're looking at everything.

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: You're looking at changing -- you're looking at changing the tried and true routes of Mardi Gras as a possibility here.

MORRELL: Correct. Absolutely. I mean, the reality is that we are a city that has hosted pretty much every major event that one can think of, from the World's Fair to Super Bowls, to, name it, the city of New Orleans has done it.

And we are also flexible. And we're going to adapt to the realities of what's going to happen after this attack.

I mean, the reality is --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: But let me ask you -- and I hear what you're saying. The --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: The events are all over New Orleans, but people do flock to the French Quarter during Mardi Gras, without a doubt.

MORRELL: Right. We're --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: Can -- do you feel that --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: -- the city can host people in that space without protective measures being implemented in some serious way? Because there are questions about them from -- from this this celebration.

[13:40:05]

MORRELL: I don't think there's any question that the way Bourbon Street and the French Quarter is handled will be different in the wake of this. I think that you had -- from what we've seen thus far, you had a very determined person working to implement a terrorist incident.

And I think that, regardless of what was done in the past, it's going to be done differently times a million going forward.

KEILAR: Yes.

MORRELL: I do think -- I do think that the city of New Orleans has historically hosted hundreds, if not thousands of events over the years. We have done a very good job up until today keeping the people who visit the city and who live in the city safe when it comes to these types of events.

But everything is a horrific learning experience. And just like the city of New Orleans learned after that attack, you said the Landrieu administration to even install the bollards at all.

We're going to also look forward to see what we can do differently. And we're going to have the backing of state, local and federal partners to provide a greater presence here as we figure and uncover what's happening.

KEILAR: Yes.

MORRELL: But this attack was horrific. The people here are reeling from it. And we are primarily focused, as local government, making them safe and making sure that our federal and state partners have every resource available to uncover what happened and get to the bottom of this.

KEILAR: Sure, you welcome people from all over. And as you mentioned, most of these victims are locals. And we certainly recognize the police officers who were injured as well. Good to hear that they're in stable condition. And we'll continue to monitor that as well.

Councilman Morrell, thanks for being with us. We really appreciate your time.

MORRELL: Thank you.

KEILAR: And stay with CNN for this breaking news. We are awaiting a press conference, an update on the attack in New Orleans coming in the next 20 minutes. We'll be right back.

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[13:46:59]

KEILAR: We do have some new video from social media and it shows police in New Orleans exchanging gunfire with the attacker on Bourbon Street there.

We do want to warn viewers, what you're about to see is disturbing.

In this video, there is at least one victim you can see lying on the ground. That is blurred out. But this is feet there from that heavily damaged white pickup truck.

And let's listen. I want to turn the sound up so that you can hear what happens next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Those are gunshots. Bystanders had rushed towards the victim and you had two uniformed law enforcement officers appearing to confront the driver of that vehicle.

And then seconds later, that series of gunshots ringing out, the officers recoiling. They quickly retreated from the truck. Bystanders, of course, reacting very naturally, fleeing from the scene there.

With us now, we have CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Charles Ramsey.

I think this is the -- this is the compounded horror of what happened there in the French Quarter overnight, Charles, is that people were going to help victims who were incapacitated on the ground, in danger of passing away if they had not already.

And then you had gunshots ringing out and they had to pull away from helping people. You know, what do you think as we're getting a better picture of what happened?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, you know, you hear gunshots, you run for cover as a citizen. And that's certainly understandable.

But the police did a good job. I mean, they ran toward the danger. They neutralized the threat. That's exactly what they're supposed to do. And in the process, two of them were wounded. So you couldn't ask any more for the from the officers.

But it does add to the whole danger of the situation. I mean, you know, when you have bullets flying, in addition to what took place with just the truck, I mean, that that's obviously a problem.

But the police had no choice but to shoot him and to make sure he couldn't hurt anybody else.

KEILAR: And thank goodness they were there, right? Because now we've learned that there were explosive devices, according to sources, inside of a cooler in that truck. There are questions about whether there were other explosive devices. Knowing that if the driver had not had police there stopping him from

getting out of the car, what do you worry about what else this could have turned into?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, he had a firearm, obviously. You know, we've been focusing on the truck and how the truck could get down Bourbon Street.

But the reality is, if it wasn't a truck, somebody could have walked down the street with an A.R.-15 or a 16, rather, or an A.K.-47 and started shooting. I mean, you know, fortunately, that's the world we live in right now.

But if this guy had gotten out of that truck, knowing that he had IEDs in the truck as well as a firearm, the tragedy would have been a lot, a lot more extensive than we are dealing with now.

And so the police reacted very quickly. They were there. They killed this guy. And that's exactly what they should have done. So --

KEILAR: Yes.

RAMSEY: -- that's where it is.

KEILAR: Yes. It's becoming apparent that this could have been worse, as terrible as it is. And New Orleans is reeling from losing 10 people and dozens of people injured.

Charles Ramsey, thanks so much for being with us. We do appreciate it.

RAMSEY: Quite all right.

[14:49:25]

KEILAR: Next, it's one of the biggest games of the college football season. And it is supposed to be kicking off in New Orleans just hours -- New Orleans just hours from now. Is this attack going to change that? We have been asking. We'll have more on that ahead.

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KEILAR: Back to our breaking news out of New Orleans. At least 10 people have died, dozens more injured after police say a man intentionally drove a truck through a crowd early this morning on Bourbon Street. The FBI says it's now investigating the deadly act as an act of terrorism.

This is a horrific scene that unfolded just blocks away from the Superdome, which is raising huge concerns about security ahead of tonight's Sugar Bowl between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame.

We have CNN sports anchor, Andy Scholes, with us now.

Andy, they've got to be looking at this carefully. What steps are being taken? ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Brianna, they're certainly

beefing up security around that area. And according to the A.P., the Superdome has been on lockdown this entire morning as they continue to do more security sweeps in and around the stadium.

You know, if you've ever been to a big event in New Orleans, you know, everyone stays in and around the French Quarter by the water. And then, you know, most of the fans -- the stadium holds 83,000 people -- they walk down Poydras Street to get to the Superdome.

So as you can imagine, its, you know, a very uneasy feeling walking around the city today.

But the police earlier this morning, they said that the fans, they should feel safe walking around in New Orleans right now.

Here's what the superintendent of police had to say after the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNE KIRKPATRICK, SUPERINTENDENT, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: We want our community and our visitors to continue enjoying -- there's so much to enjoy about New Orleans. And we are going to make sure that our routes and our Superdome are safe today for the game.

[13:55:05]

And, yes, we had this tragic event. And we're sorry, again, to everyone in our community. But we do want you to go about the day. As we say, just stay from Bourbon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Now. Notre Dame, Georgia, both fan bases that travel very well. Both schools did put out statements saying that the travel party, which means the team, you know, the band, everyone that's involved with the team, they were all safe.

But we did learn from the University of Georgia that one of their students has been critically injured. They say that student is receiving medical treatment.

It was a statement put out by the school president. "Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with that student."

But, yes, the Sugar Bowl, the only statement they put out so far today, Brianna, they said that, "The committee is devastated by the terrible events from earlier this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.

"We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available."

So, you know, there have been questions of whether the game would go forward, Brianna. We have not heard definitively yes or no yet. Maybe we will get more clarification in the upcoming press conference.

KEILAR: All right. We'll be looking for that.

Andy Scholes, thank you for the report.

Next on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, we have much more on this investigation in New Orleans, which is being described as a possible act of terrorism. We are just minutes away from an expected update from law enforcement there in New Orleans, from the feds, as well as local officials.

Stay with us for more.

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