TheNew York Times reportsthat the suspect in this morning’s terrorist attack in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar. (See my earlierposton initial details about the attack.)
Jabbar apparently died in the aftermath of the truck-ramming attack in which he killed at least ten people and injured dozens of others, and engaged in a shootout with police afterwards. I don’t know anything reliable regarding Jabbar’s background at this writing. (In an earlier post, I noted a report that said the number of dead had risen to a dozen. Most of the reporting I’ve reviewed continues to say “at least 10,” so it’s probably better to go with that until we know more.)
Meantime, Fox News is reporting that the white pickup truck Jabbar used in the massacre was spotted crossing the Mexican border into Texas in November.
Reportedly, the truck bore a Texas license plate and was tracked crossing into the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas, a notorious crossing in the Biden-era border collapse.
According to the Times, the vehicle is registered to a 42-year-old Houston resident. It is also not publicly known at this time whether Jabbar is the registered owner of the truck, nor whether he had any role in its crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. I have also seen no confirmation on whether, as noted in the earlier post, a black flag was flying from the back of the truck at the time of the attack, though the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate cites a source as saying that “Jabbar was carrying an ISIS flag in the truck”
The Times also reports that Jabbar appears to have possessed at least one IED, and that the massacre is being investigated by the FBI as a terrorist attack. Notwithstanding that (as I detailed in the earlier post), the FBI official running the investigation, Agent Alethea Duncan (the head of the bureau’s local field office), initially took pains to say that as of early Wednesday afternoon, the bureau did not consider the incident a “terrorist event” at this preliminary investigative stage.
HUTCHMED (China) Limited (“HUTCHMED”) (Nasdaq/AIM:HCM; HKEX:13) today announces that the New Drug Application (“NDA”) for the combination of ORPATHYS® (savolitinib) and TAGRISSO® (osimertinib) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (“EGFR”) mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”) with MET amplification after disease progression on first-line EGFR inhibitor therapy has been accepted and granted priority review by the China National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”). ORPATHYS®is an oral, potent and highly selective MET tyrosine kinase inhibitor (“TKI”). TAGRISSO®is a third-generation, irreversible EGFR TKI. This acceptance also triggers a milestone payment from AstraZeneca.
The NDA is supported by data from SACHI, a multi-center, open-label, randomized, controlled, Phase III trial which evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combination of ORPATHYS® and TAGRISSO® compared to platinum-based doublet-chemotherapy (pemetrexed plus cisplatin or carboplatin), the standard-of-care treatment option in this setting. The primary endpoint of the study was progression free survival (“PFS”) as assessed by investigators. Other endpoints include PFS assessed by an independent review committee, overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DoR), disease control rate (DCR), time to response (TTR), and safety. The Independent Data Monitoring Committee (“IDMC”) of SACHI has considered that the study has met the pre-defined primary endpoint of PFS in a planned interim analysis and as a result, enrollment into the study has concluded. Results from SACHI will be submitted for presentation at an upcoming scientific conference (clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT05015608).
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday law enforcement is investigating whether there are any links between a New Orleans truck attack that killed 15 people and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel Las Vegas.
"We're tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas," Biden said. "Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether there's any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans."
Suspected people smugglers will face severe curbs under new laws in Britain, the government said on Thursday, as it steps up efforts to fight illegal migration and strengthen border security.
Those suspected will face travel bans, social media blackouts and restrictions on phone usage to help the government "dismantle organised immigration crime networks," the statement added.
"We will give law enforcement stronger powers they need to pursue and stop more of these vile gang networks," interior minister Yvette Cooper said, describing border security as one of the foundations of the government's recently laid out 'plan for change'.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, elected to office in July, has prioritised tackling illegal migration by cracking down on the gangs who smuggle people across the English Channel, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, into Britain from France.
Over 36,800 people made the dangerous crossings to arrive in Britain in 2024, a 25% year-on-year surge, according to government data. Several dozen have died attempting to do so, with the Refugee Council charity terming it the deadliest year on record for such crossings.
The planned interim serious crime prevention orders (SCPO) will allow immediate action to disrupt and deter suspected serious criminality, including organised immigration crime, the statement said.
The fresh powers are designed to mirror those already used to disrupt other offences such as knife crime, slavery and trafficking.
Currently, securing an SCPO on suspects can be a complex and lengthy process. The interim orders will speed up the process.
In the wake of the New Orleans terrorist attack, a Tesla Cybertruck reportedly full of"firework-stylemortars" exploded in front of the Trump Towers in Las Vegas this morning.
Maybe it was some kind of accident, and the whole location was just a coincidence. But it's not hard to think that the idea was to send a message to both Donald Trump, who owns the tower, and to his political ally, Elon Musk, who owns Tesla.
Was it an act of terrorism? An assassination threat? Based on the scant information out so far, it seems plausible.
The cops aren't saying but they have told the press they are investigating it as a potential crime.
This tweet shows the different dynamics between a run-of-the-mill electric car battery fire and the explosion seen in front of the tower:
It seems reasonable to think that if this were intentional, the perpetrator probably had a 'thing' against both Trump and Musk, who is currently working on domestic policy in regards to cutting the size of our oversized government.
That suggests a political actor more than an overseas terrorist agenda, which seems to be evident in New Orleans as the FBI fumbles around and says it's not terrorism.
Union thugs, of which Las Vegas has many, are known for their violent tactics, but they don't seem too on-the-outs with the incoming Trump team. We haven't heard crazy statements from them.
Antifa, given its loathing of Trump and Musk, as well as its willingness to use lawless tactics might have such a motive. The group seems to be the sort of place law enforcement ought to at least look, given the weak penetration of that organization by federal authorities focused on Jan. 6 grannies, angry parents speaking out at school board meetings and Latin Mass goers rather than domestic terrorists. There could easily be some material there.
What's more, whoever did it was stupid:
... which once again might lead in the direction of antifa, which frequently does foolish things.
Or it could be someone else -- a foreign actor looking for 'revenge' perhaps -- but if it were, it's hard to think they would have used a Cybertruck since it's unlikely they want to get Musk. The attack seems dual in its messaging.
Whoever did wanted may have wanted the world to think Musk's cars blow up so it's a bad idea to buy them. And juvenile, too, which is typical of terrorists: Ooh, look, the Musk car took down the Trump tower and it all fell down!
It also could have been a lone wolf activist, or someone with a shadowy network like the two would-be assassins of Trump this past year and that Luigi Mangione character who shot the insurance CEO in the back. We've seen a lot of lone wolves who may not be all that 'lone' this past year. Maybe the pattern holds.
Some factors that support the accident theory are that it was New Year's Day, so it's plausible that some fireworks transport might be legitimately happening.
We also don't know who the driver was who was killed -- why would he let himself get killed (and identified) if he could just as easily have walked away from the car and let it blow up after him -- was he a dupe for someone else, or was this really an accident? Why did he pick such an expensive and well-armored car if he could have done better with a regular, less-armored Tesla and sent the same dual message?
Strangest of all was why the timing. Whoever it was who did this bombing saw his spectacular overshadowed by the far more heinous mass-death event in New Orleans. Terrorists live for publicity, and this one seemingly misfired, given that a bigger story was happening elsewhere. Maybe it was just stupidity and the terrorists are kicking themselves. Or maybe it was an accident.
There are so many unanswered questions, but its reassuring to see that the Las Vegas cops and not the feds, are investigating this. Maybe they will get to the bottom here.
The sooner they do, and release the results of their probe with full transparency, the better. Even if it was a true accident, the bad guys are going to get ideas.
Not content to The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealed this week thatthree senior DOJ officials violated internal policies and engaged in misconduct by leaking non-public investigative details to the media "days before an election."
The OIG, led by Michael Horowitz since 2012, conducted the investigation following a complaint alleging politically motivated disclosures related to ongoing DOJ matters.
"The OIG investigation found that three then Senior DOJ Officials violated DOJ’s Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy by leaking to select reporters, days before an election, non-public DOJ investigative information regarding ongoing DOJ investigative matters, resulting in the publication of two news articles that included the non-public DOJ investigative information," the OIG stated in a brief investigative summary.
The summary further noted that one of the officials compounded the misconduct by using a DOJ social media account to share links to the resulting news articles, a violation of both the Confidentiality and Media Contacts Policy and the DOJ’s Social Media Policy.
Of course, in typical Horowitz fashion - we have no clue who leaked what to whom...
The investigation faced limitations as the three implicated officials were no longer employed by the DOJ at the time of the probe, and either declined or failed to respond to interview requests. The OIG does not have the authority to compel testimony from former employees.
Horowitz's office confirmed that the findings have been referred to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and the Professional Misconduct Review Unit for appropriate action. Additionally, the report has been shared with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for further investigation into potential violations of the Hatch Act, which restricts political activities by federal employees.
Unspecified Investigation at the Heart of the Leak
The nature of the investigation leaked by the former officials remains unclear. However, similar concerns have been raised in other high-profile cases involving DOJ leaks. In September, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, as well as Horowitz, accusing the DOJ and FBI of leaking information about a now-closed investigation into President-elect Donald Trump.
The investigation in question involved allegations that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi attempted to bolster Trump’s 2016 campaign with $10 million in cash. Initially handled by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team, the probe was closed in June 2020 due to insufficient evidence, but details of the case were reported by The Washington Post in August 2024. The newspaper’s reporting cited “people familiar with the case” and “thousands of pages of government records, including sealed court filings.”
Broader Pattern of DOJ Leaks and Misconduct
Leaks have been a recurring issue within the DOJ. Trump, while campaigning for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, accused Special Counsel Jack Smith of having "illegally leaked" information about the classified documents investigation against him. This included allegations that Smith leaked an audio recording of Trump discussing a classified document related to Iran, which was later included in a now-dismissed indictment.
During Trump’s first term, leaks about the FBI’s investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and his 2016 campaign led to scathing reports by the OIG and subsequent investigations by Mueller and Special Counsel John Durham. Notably, former FBI Director James Comey was referred for prosecution in 2019 for leaking internal memos to the media, though the DOJ ultimately declined to press charges.
Speaking on Australia’s “Today” show, aviation authority Professor Ron Bartsch said something more “sinister” could be at play.
“I suspect that the initial reports that have indicated that birdstrike or weather may have been a contributing factor, but to me, that’s pretty unlikely that a birdstrike alone would be sufficient to bring down an aircraft or to foresee landing gear not to be able to be operative,” he said, Nine reports.
Bartsch added that the pilot would have known about the high risk of landing, particularly without reverse thrust or flaps available to slow the aircraft down.
Firefighters at the scene of the Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 crash in Muan-gun, South Korea that killed 179 people on Dec. 30, 2024.Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
“So it may have been, and this is only speculation, that there may have been something more sinister on board the aircraft that could have caused it.”
A standard pre-flight inspection found “no issues” with the Jeju Air passenger plane before it crashed.
Jeju Air chief executive Kim Yi-bae said that there were “no specific or unusual issues during the maintenance process” of the aircraft before the crash at Muan Airport.
Investigators examining the wreckage at Muan International Airport on Dec. 31, 2024.YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images
“As for whether the landing gear functioned properly, that is directly related to the accident investigation, and we are not in a position to know at this time,” he told a press conference in Seoul.
The Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 was traveling from Thailand to South Korea when it crashed upon landing at Muan Airport just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Mr Kim added that if the plane’s maintenance team didn’t sign off on its safety, it would not have been cleared for takeoff, the BBC reports.
He said its pilots were trained to regulation standards, and the company had two full flight simulators.
Mourners paying respects to the plane crash victims at a memorial in Seoul on Dec. 31, 2024.Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images
“We have 12.9 maintenance workers per airplane, which has increased from 12 in 2019,” he said.
“We have a strict maintenance checklist, it is not possible to miss things. If something was missed it would be a grave problem.”
The chief executive denied the airline having excessive flight operations, but said it would reduce its air traffic by 10 to 15 per cent this winter to be able to carry out more maintenance work on their aircraft.
He said that the airline was preparing compensation for the victims’ families, including covering the cost of funerals.
South Korea is observing seven days of mourning over the disaster. New Year celebrations were cancelled and flags are flying at half-mast.
Officials began releasing the bodies of plane crash victims to families Tuesday.
“Of the 179 victims, the bodies of four have completed the handover procedures to their bereaved families for funerals,” transport minister Park Sang-woo said at Muan airport.
Funerals for some victims who had been identified and completed autopsies began Tuesday, he added.
One family lost nine members — including the oldest passenger on the plane, who was taking his first-ever overseas trip to celebrate his birthday, local broadcaster KBC reported.
Five of the killed passengers were children aged under 10 years old, including a three-year-old boy, was killed alongside his parents as they returned from their first family holiday overseas.
Footage of the crash shows the Boeing 737-800 aircraft skidding on the runway before crashing into a concrete barrier and bursting into flames.
Officials have suggested a birdstrike could have caused the crash.YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images
Officials initially pointed to a bird strike as a possible cause, but experts have also flagged the barrier, with dramatic video showing the Boeing 737-800 bursting into flames as it collides with it.
When asked whether it was permissible for the airport to have used concrete in the barrier, director-general for airport policy Kim Hong-rak said the government would “review the relevant regulations and their application”.
“Whether this structure exacerbated the damage is … something the Accident Investigation Committee plans to investigate thoroughly,” said deputy minister for civil aviation, Joo Jong-wan.
