President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited New Orleans this week, where they attended a prayer service and met privately with grieving families and survivors of the New Year’s Day terror attack in the French Quarter.
The attack claimed 14 lives and left more than 30 others injured, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
A man identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar deliberately drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street. Jabbar, who had expressed support for the Islamic State group in online videos just hours before the attack, was then shot and killed by responding police officers.
During a January 6 memorial service at St. Louis Cathedral, blocks from the scene of the tragedy, President Biden assured mourners that they were not alone in their grief, reported Fox 4 KDFW.
“The city’s people get back up,” Biden told the crowd. “That’s the spirit of America as well,” he said.
Biden praised first responders who “ran toward the chaos.” He told the audience that despite the current pain, the people of New Orleans would find healing with time.
“We know what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul. The anger. The emptiness. … It will take time, but I promise you, it will come. I promise you,” the President added.
Before the prayer service, Joe and Jill Biden visited a makeshift memorial on Bourbon Street, where flowers, candles, and heartfelt messages were left for the victims. The memorial, located at the site of the attack, has become a gathering point for mourners from across the city and beyond. After placing white flowers in silence, the President and First Lady stood together, heads bowed in reflection.
Authorities are still piecing together the details of the attack, with the FBI continuing to probe Jabbar’s motives and how he carried out the deadly assault. In a new development, the FBI confirmed that bomb-making materials were discovered at Jabbar’s home in Houston, according to a report from Houston Public Media.
Jabbar, a former U.S. Service member, had visited New Orleans before the attack and had made several posts online expressing allegiance to the Islamic State.
As New Orleans prepares for the Super Bowl on February 9 and Mardi Gras on March 4, security measures are drastically being heightened in the French Quarter and surrounding areas.
The French Quarter has long been a hub for celebrations, but in the aftermath of the attack, heightened security standards and additional police officers have been deployed. Last week, traffic-blocking bollards absent during New Year’s Eve celebrations were quickly re-installed near popular streets like Bourbon and Canal, per Fox 4.