President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended a memorial service for the victims on Monday Terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, honoring the 14 victims who died.
The event, which was an interfaith prayer service, was held at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in the French Quarter. The church is located less than a kilometer and a half from the site of the attack, where the terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers.
Biden spoke briefly near the end of the service, expressing sympathy for the victims and their families.
“The shock and the pain is still so strong,” said Biden, who leaves office in exactly two weeks. “My wife Jill and I are here to stand with you, grieve with you, pray with you, [and] know that you are not alone – the rest of the nation is looking up to you too.”
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN NEW ORLEANS
US President Joe Biden (right) and First Lady Jill Biden (2nd right), along with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (2nd left) and his wife Sharon Landry (left), attend an interfaith prayer with families and community members affected by the truck attack 1 .January in New Orleans, at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1. 6. 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The president also noted that he recently met with two police officers who were injured during the attack and praised the first responders who saved lives amid the chaos.
“New Orleans defines strength and resilience,” Biden said. “You define it. Whether it’s in the form of this attack, from this attack or a hurricane or a superstorm, people in this city are rising up. That’s the spirit of America.”
The service comes less than a week after a terrorist attack stunned the Big Easy. Jabbar died at the scene of the accident, bringing the total number of dead since January 6 to 15, a more than 30 injuries.
Many of the deceased were in their 20s and had visited New Orleans from across the US, including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and New Jersey. The youngest victim was 18, and the oldest 63.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, along with Archbishop Gregory Aymond (right), attend an interfaith prayer service with families and community members affected by the Jan. 1 truck attack in New Orleans at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in New Orleans , Louisiana, January 6, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The incident remains under investigation, and federal and local officials continue to collect evidence terrorist attack. On Sunday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said its National Response Team had completed its investigation into Jabbar’s Airbnb in New Orleans.
Jabbar, who rented a house on Mandeville Street and vacated it hours before he began his rampage, set the rental house on fire to destroy evidence, but the fire ended up smoldering until authorities arrived. Jabbar’s strategically placed accelerants ultimately failed to ignite, allowing authorities to gather evidence.
Officials also found traces of the explosive RDX, or cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, in the rental. The agency noted that Jabbar unwittingly foiled his plans by using an electric match to ignite an explosive material normally activated by a detonator.
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US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden lay flowers as they honor the victims of the January 1 truck attack at a makeshift memorial on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 6, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
“Jabbar used an explosive material more suitable for a detonator, but did not have access to one, so he used an electric match to activate the explosive,” the ATF statement explained. “Jabbar’s lack of experience and the crude nature of assembling the device is why he used the wrong device to activate the explosives.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
