Turo CEO says there were no ‘red flags’ to stop New Orleans driver
Turo CEO Andre Haddad said the company has not seen any connection between the Las Vegas and New Orleans New Year’s Day incidents, and they are focused on supporting those impacted.
Both the truck used in the New Orleans ramming attack and the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas were rented on the car sharing app Turo.
“My first thoughts are for the victims’ families. We are really heartbroken for them. This feels so unfair,” Haddad said on CNBC this morning.
The company’s investigations found both individuals had clean criminal backgrounds, valid driver’s licenses and “there were no red flags.”
“No one would have flagged them as a security risk. So it’s a very challenging situation to deal with,” he said.
He stressed that the company has a very strong safety record “with a 0.1% serious incident rate only, which I think is industry leading.”
He said there hasn’t been any impact to business.
“Frankly, I haven’t been looking at our metrics that much. I’ve been very focused on the investigation. Our team has rallied around supporting law enforcement and getting to the bottom of what happened, so but as far as I could tell, superficially, there hasn’t been any noticeable impact.”
New Orleans attacker transformed from a model soldier into an ISIS supporter
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BEAUMONT, Texas — Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s high school friends knew him as “Sham” — a good student with a quiet disposition and a bright future. He went on to become a model soldier in the Army, where his work ethic and attitude impressed his commander during a tour in Afghanistan.
“He was a great soldier, someone who showed discipline and dedication,” the commander, Rich Groen, posted on social media.
But over the past few years, as Jabbar worked to climb the corporate ladder, his life began to deteriorate. He faced severe money problems and a third divorce. At some point, he fell under the sway of the Islamic State, the terrorist group known as ISIS.
On New Year’s Eve, Jabbar, 42, drove a rented truck from Houston to New Orleans, authorities said, posting videos online along the way in which he professed his support for ISIS. Once he reached Bourbon Street, he planted two improvised explosive devices and then got back into his truck and plowed into revelers, killing 14 before police shot and killed him in a gunbattle.
Read the full story here.
LSU women’s basketball coach says New Year’s Day attack was ‘so close to home’
Louisiana State University women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey became emotional as she addressed reporters last night, saying the Bourbon Street attack is “so close to home.”
“There were kids from our area, Baton Rouge. I can’t quit thinking about it, to be honest. I can’t quit thinking about it. It’s so close to home, it just hits you right smack in the face. And you get emotional because I just cannot imagine those families right now and what they’re having to deal with,” she said. “You just pray. That’s all you can do is just pray, pray, pray that somehow, someway, they can deal with it and continue on with their lives.”
A moment of silence for the lives lost in the New Year’s Day New Orleans attack was held before last night’s game in Arkansas.
President Joe Biden will travel to New Orleans on Monday
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to New Orleans on Monday, the White House announced today.
They will grieve with families and community members affected in the New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street and meet with officials on the ground.
Brother of driver behind Bourbon Street attack says, ‘This wasn’t the man I knew’
The younger brother of the driver in the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans said he’s shocked by his brother’s actions and there were no red flags he noticed before the attack.
“Our hearts, prayers and thoughts go out to those families, the victims and those who witnessed it. … It’s a tragedy,” Abdur Rahem Jabbar told NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston. “This wasn’t the man I knew. This wasn’t the father, the son that I knew. And that also this isn’t a representation of Islam or Muslims or the Muslim community.”
“I understand people want answers, but we’re just as puzzled as the rest of the world,” he added.
He said that his brother, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, grew up in Beaumont and was living in Houston. He has three kids and had multiple divorces. He also faced financial burdens.
“Sham believed his Islamic faith taught him that partying in places like New Orleans wasn’t righteous,” Abdur Rahem Jabbar said. “But he never gave any red flags leading up to this.”
