Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas argued it is “not fair” to say that the city of New Orleans ignored the bulletin on the risks of attacks by drivers plowing cars into crowds of people.
“I don‘t think that‘s fair ... to say, Wolf, that wouldn‘t be a fair conclusion to draw," Mayorkas told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in a Thursday evening interview. "That was not our first bulletin with respect to the threat of the lone offender, the perpetrator of the terrorist attack yesterday in New Orleans was an army veteran, a U.S.-born citizen."
Blitzer asked Mayorkas about a Dec. 6 Department of Homeland Security bulletin and a “critical incident note,” both obtained by CNN, that were sent out to federal, state and local law enforcement, warning them of threats of violence from lone offenders and the potential of using vehicles to ram into crowds.
Officials warned in the memo, circulated among law enforcement agencies before the holidays kicked into full gear, that the risks are even higher during the winter to "soft" targets, according to CNN.
“We have spoken now for about 10 years about the phenomenon of an individual resident in the United States radicalized to violence by a foreign terrorist ideology or other ideologies,” Mayorkas said. “We‘re speaking of a veteran here."
"Local officials do the best they can in securing the well-being of their residents. We work very closely with our state and local partners," he added.
His words come after a Texas resident drove a rented Ford pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.
The driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar — who served in the U.S. Army from 2007 to 2020 — was shot and killed by law enforcement after he opened fire on the officers. A pro-Islamic State flag was found in the vehicle during the investigation, and officials later discovered social media posts from Jabbar showing support for the U.S.-designated terrorist group.
The New Year's Day incident — paired with an explosion in Las Vegas by an active-duty service member that authorities say was intentional — has sparked fears of military extremism and potential political violence.
