Report: Airbnb Fire Could Be Connected to Bourbon Street Attack

A fire that broke out at an Airbnb in New Orleans may be connected to the attack on Bourbon Street, according to Nola.com.

First responders were called to the St. Roch area of the city early Wednesday due to reports of a fire breaking out at an Airbnb. According to the outlet, investigators now believe the Airbnb was rented by the suspect of what is being investigated as a terrorist attack on Bourbon Street and that the fire could therefore be connected.

Per the outlet:

Law enforcement officials and bomb squad detectives were called to 1329 Mandeville Street after firefighters doused flames that broke out at the rental, according to sources close to the investigation. Investigators believe the Airbnb was rented by the suspect in the Bourbon Street attack, sources said.

WSDU also spoke to a woman who came home from work in the early hours of the morning — about 5 a.m., less than two hours after the Bourbon Street attack unfolded — and saw first responders in the area responding to what was initially thought to be an innocent fire. However, she said residents were later instructed to evacuate the area due to the ongoing investigation, presumably linked to the attack on Bourbon Street, which resulted in ten fatalities and 35 more injured.

“According to the witness, she says police told her they were looking for explosive devices,” the outlet reported, citing the woman who also reiterated that law enforcement believes the house on fire could have been rented out by the suspect.

Police responded to the attack in the early hours of the morning as the suspect — identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar, who reportedly had an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) flag in the vehicle — plowed his vehicle through a crowd of people before opening fire. The FBI confirmed the suspect is deceased, and the attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) implied in an update that more than just the main suspect could be behind the attack.

“This is a fluid situation and we are in coordination with numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure a complete and thorough investigation to bring those who may have been part of this incident to justice,” Landry said in part.

Further, officials are now saying they believe the suspect did not act alone.