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The future for the FBI agent who declared the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans was not an act of terror remains unknown.
The agency has been silent on the topic after it was forced to backtrack on the agent’s statement that the massacre, when a driver “inspired by ISIS” plowed his truck into New Year’s Eve revelers on Bourbon Street, was “not a terrorist event.”
The FBI’s press office and press secretary did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on Thursday about “whether New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan would face termination or disciplinary action over her initial claim the attack was not connected to terrorism,” the outlet reported.
A call to the FBI press office on Friday morning also proved unsuccessful as Fox News Digital noted it “could not leave a message regarding the inquiry as the voicemail box was full. ”
The FBI in New Orleans’ initial statement:
“This is not a terrorist event. What it is right now is improvised explosive devices that was found.”
Why on earth is the FBI using Orwellian language on what is an obvious terrorist attack.
pic.twitter.com/rRM7Orm2PU— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 1, 2025
“We’ll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event,” Duncan had said during a news conference following the attack which left 14 people dead and dozens of others injured.
However, Mayor LaToya Cantrell portrayed the killing spree in a decidedly different way during the same press conference.
“Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It’s all still under investigation,” the Democrat leader said.
UPDATE: The FBI now says it’s terrorism. pic.twitter.com/kPfnlKtsC7
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 1, 2025
On the day of the attack, the FBI released three different statements calling the event a terrorist incident.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. 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 to Fox Digital.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with police, had an ISIS flag in his truck, the FBI confirmed.
The FBI should be focused on fighting criminals and terrorists.
Instead, the agency has wasted valuable resources hosting DEI seminars, investigating churchgoers, and raiding President Trump’s home.
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) January 1, 2025
Social media users weighed in on whether the agent should face discipline for her initial remarks.
Unbelievable. The FBI owes the American people answers. Why did an agent claim the shocking New Year’s attack in New Orleans was “not terrorism,” only for the agency to backtrack? Now, silence on accountability?
— Johnny Nitro (@Johnny_Nitrogen) January 3, 2025
Why would they fire her? I’m sure she was told to lie. She didn’t just decide to on her own
— Tracy Cecil (@TracyCecil7) January 3, 2025
Definitely needs to be demoted
— chris (@marmail) January 3, 2025
Better yet, who was in charge to put her in that position and who does she answer to??
— Booker9e (@booker9e) January 3, 2025
They’ll do nothing. She was prob doing what she was told…
— LetsDoAmerica! (@JeffGDD101) January 3, 2025
They don’t even expect her to adhere to FBI guidelines prohibiting face piercings, does anyone really think she will be fired?
— Robert Cooper (@robertatlee) January 3, 2025
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