Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., has called on the military on Newsmax Thursday to release the service records of Shamsud Din Jabbar, the suspect behind the deadly Bourbon Street attack, to uncover critical details about the suspect.
Burlison, a House Oversight Committee member, has urged the U.S. military to release the service records of Jabbar, a former Army veteran accused of carrying out a deadly terrorist attack on Bourbon Street on Jan. 1.
Jabbar, 42, allegedly drove a truck said to be carrying an ISIS flag into a crowd, killing numerous people.
Speaking on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren," Burlison emphasized the need for transparency in investigating Jabbar's background and connections.
"I would like to have the dead man, the terrorist Shamsud Din Jabbar's Army records released tonight so that we can look at them," host Van Susteren posed during the interview.
"Yeah, that would be refreshing for the federal government to be honest about what's happened," Burlison responded. "I think that the FBI needs to be honest about their failures in identifying some of these terror threats that have existed."
Burlison highlighted a series of what he described as systemic failures within the federal government, citing recent controversies involving agencies such as FEMA and the Secret Service.
"This is a long list of failures," he said, adding that the FBI has diverted resources toward less critical matters, such as "investigating parents at school board meetings and Catholics instead of doing their job."
The congressman expressed particular concern about the radicalization of a U.S. veteran like Jabbar, describing the situation as "disturbing that you have, you know, a veteran, someone that is serving our country, that is somehow indoctrinated."
He called for an immediate examination of Jabbar's communications to determine potential links to terrorist organizations.
"I think that it's important that we identify who he's communicating with and that information. And I think the military should be transparent about that immediately," Burlison stated.
The urgency of Burlison's remarks comes amid growing fears of an ISIS resurgence. Jabbar's vehicle was found to contain firearms and improvised explosive devices, according to the FBI.
The attack has reignited national security concerns and prompted calls for stricter counterterrorism measures.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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