Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the current acting governor, is demanding the FBI special agent in charge of investigating the New Year's Day attack that killed 15 people in New Orleans be fired.
Patrick, serving as acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is out of state, said Texas law enforcement was investigating since the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was a Texas resident.
"Texas law enforcement already had enough information for me to determine that this was a deadly terrorist attack," Patrick wrote on social media Wednesday night. "An ISIS flag on the truck sends a pretty clear message. The idea that [Alethea Duncan], the FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge in New Orleans said this morning that this was not a terrorist attack is shocking, idiotic, and alarming. If the agent was unsure, she should've said she didn't know at that moment."
Patrick said her not calling the incident a terror attack was grounds for her termination.
"There are many great agents in the FBI," Patrick said. "But it's clear, leadership is lacking at the highest level of the FBI and major reform is needed."
The New Orleans attack injured about 30 other people, including two police officers wounded by gunfire from the suspect, taking place a mere three hours into the New Year in the historic French Quarter.
Police found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, while two potential explosive devices were found in the French Quarter and rendered safe, the FBI said.
Jabbar was a real estate agent working in Houston and had served as an IT specialist in the military. Officials said they were searching for accomplices but gave few details.
An ISIS flag was attached to a staff protruding from the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle, prompting an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
Sam Barron ✉
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