Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to increase the state's Anti-Terrorism Task Force resources in light of the deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans last week, the governor's office announced.
"Terrorism has no place in Texas," Abbott said. "Law enforcement at all levels must aggressively collaborate to eliminate radicalization that can lead to terrorist attacks."
Early New Year's Day, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others before being shot to death by police, according to authorities. Jabbar moved into a predominately Muslim neighborhood last year, just north of Houston, and was a native of Texas.
As part of the new initiative, Abbott has instructed the DPS to:
- increase the communication between the FBI and Anti-terrorism Joint Terrorism Task Force statewide.
- increase the number of intelligence analysts assigned to investigate terrorism.
- work with federal agencies to identify, locate, and assess potential threats from Special Interest Migrants.
- work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and local jurisdictions to expand the Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP).
- work with local partners from law enforcement, mental health, and other fields.
The DPS will also assess various government buildings to determine the level of threats from vehicle ramming and provide recommendations. The FBI told The New York Times on Sunday that although they believe Jabbar acted alone, they were still trying to determine if he had any direct ties with ISIS. Jabbar had the group's flag on the pickup truck he used in the attack. Although he lived near a local mosque, residents said they had never seen Jabbar at any prayer service.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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