FBI refuses to say whether to fire, discipline agent who said attack was ‘not a terrorist event’
The FBI was silent whether to fire or discipline the agent who initially told the media and public that the shocking New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans “was not a terrorist event,” before the agency quickly backtracked and reported that the attack was actually being investigated as a terrorist incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI’s press office and press secretary Thursday and Friday, asking whether Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in the FBI’s New Orleans field office, would face termination or disciplinary action for her initial claims that the attack was not connected to terrorism, but received no answers. Fox Digital also called the FBI’s press office Friday morning but was unable to leave a message regarding the inquiry because the voicemail box was full.
After chaos erupted on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning as New Year’s revelers celebrated the holiday, Duncan spoke during a news conference, saying the attack was not terrorism-related.
“We will take over the investigation of this event. This is not a terrorist event” Duncan said during the press conference.
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FBI Special Agent Aletha Duncan tells the public at a press conference that the attack in New Orleans is not related to terrorism. (Reuters)
However, during that same press conference, the mayor of New Orleans told the media and the public that the city had indeed suffered a terrorist attack.
“Know that the city of New Orleans was hit by a terrorist attack. Everything is still under investigation,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has been in the role since 2018, told reporters.
The FBI responded to Fox Digital’s request for comment on Thursday regarding criticism of Duncan’s initial assessment that the attack was not terrorism-related, telling Fox Digital that on the day of the attack The FBI released three separate statements all of which said the FBI was investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
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“This morning a person drove a car into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing multiple people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then turned himself in to local law enforcement and is now dead. The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in a statement provided to Fox Digital.
Duncan also said in subsequent press conferences that the attack was being investigated as an act of terrorism.
The FBI confirmed this week that the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, had an ISIS flag in his truck at the time of the attack. The FBI added Thursday that Jabbar was “inspired” by ISIS, but found no evidence that ISIS directed him to carry out the rampage.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks to the media during a news conference on Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans. (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, was killed after exchanging fire with police after driving his truck through a crowd of people.
Conservative lawmakers, Trump allies and voters have criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation, including Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who argued that the FBI has placed an increased focus on DEI practices instead of fighting crime.
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“The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It is imperative that Kash Patel be confirmed as soon as possible,” a source close to President-elect Donald Trump he added in a critique to Fox News Digital on Thursday morning.
