Two Israelis are among more than 30 survivors injured in the attack Terrorist attack in New OrleansThey are reservists who took leave from the Hamas war and decided to come to the United States as tourists, an Israeli diplomat told Fox News Digital.
Elad Shushan, Israel's consul to the southwestern United States, resides in Houston, but traveled to New Orleans in the wake of the car-ramming attack that also killed 14 victims who were celebrating New Year's Day on the famous Bourbon Street.
Shushan said that the families of the injured Israelis wish to remain anonymous. They are not local and are Israeli tourists. Both men are in their mid to late 20s and decided to come to the United States for about a month and a half.
“They came after a long period of service as soldiers in Israel and the war, and they had a leave where they could go and refresh themselves or take their minds off things. That was the purpose for them to come here and to travel,” Shoshan told Fox News Digital. “They were called up to the reserves to serve in the current war. So they participated, participated and contributed like many other Israeli citizens who were called up to the reserves. And again, they came here to travel.”
As soon as he learned that Israelis had been infected in New Orleans, Shushan said he jumped on a plane to the city and was in contact with federal authorities. He said law enforcement told him that the Israelis were not specifically targeted.
“What we know so far is that it was not an attack against Israelis or Jewish people specifically, it was an attack against Americans, against tourists from all over the world to see how they could – how the perpetrator could inflict as much damage as possible,” Shushan told Fox News. Digital: “Unfortunately it killed as many people as possible.” “They were right on the collision course, and they were hit right at the start.”
The deceased suspect, Shams al-Din Jabbar, drove a rented Ford pickup into a crowd of people, the FBI said. Bourbon Street Revelers in the attack, which officials say was inspired by the Islamic State.
Federal investigators now say they believe Jabbar, a US Army veteran and US citizen, has been radicalized. He grew up Muslim in Texas.
Shamsud Din Jabbar appears in an undated photo released by the FBI after he was attacked on Bourbon Street in New Orleans in a pickup truck and died in a shootout with officers. (FBI)
Shushan said that it was an “unfortunate irony” that two Israelis who killed terrorism in their home after the October 7, 2023 attacks became victims of terrorism in the United States.
The diplomat added a warning to the United States about extremist Islamic ideology, arguing that anti-Israel protests in American cities and Ivy League campuses include anti-Semitic rhetoric and calls for a “global uprising” that suggests “the West is next.”
“It's an unfortunate paradox that we face in the Middle East and Israel day in and day out all the time before October 7. But much after October 7. And I think they certainly don't expect it to have an impact.” “The terrorist attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans on New Year's Eve,” Shoshan said. “If you read the signs, and when I say read the signs, I'm talking about the actual sign. When they say, when people demonstrate and say 'globalization of uprising', we say the West is next.”
“Not only do people say people are entrenched in reality and they want violence, they want to kill, they want to cause harm and they want to cause terrorism. But we're seeing it more and more all over the world. We're seeing it happening in the United States. And we've seen it in the past,” he said. “Nothing new has caused this simple hatred that we have faced in Israel every day for many years. And I think the West, especially our greatest ally, the United States, is seeing a lot of hate speech, a lot of demonstrations against the West, against America and against Israel, saying loudly and clearly that they want to export violence from the Middle East to the United States, and we saw that happen just two days ago. .
Military personnel walk down Bourbon Street on Thursday, January 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The terrorist threat in the United States has swelled with the border crisis. The FBI found bomb-making materials in Shabar's home in the Muslim-majority city of Houston alive.
Just last year, Shushan said, Houston saw two separate arrests of individuals who allegedly crossed the border with the intent of harming Israelis, Jews and, specifically, the Israeli consulate in Houston.
What we know about the victims of the terrorist attack in New Orleans
“I think the main message we're seeing from Israel toward the United States is just firmness in any action, by any means necessary. Meaning, if you want to put out a fire, you can put out 80% of it 100% because another 20% will rise again and it will cause More fires and more damage later. We see in Israel that in order to eliminate terrorism, we need to focus on it only to deal with it on a daily basis.” “I have been in contact with the authorities here.”
He added: “The FBI and other agencies are greatly assisting us at this time. I hope the American people better understand that we face something in common.” “The threat is mutual, not just from our side in the world, but it is a global threat. And in this situation, you have to be resolute. You have to do anything and everything possible to eliminate this threat.”
The two injured Israelis were supposed to end their trip to the United States in Florida with their uncle, but they never arrived there. The uncle came to New Orleans in the wake of the attack, as did the victims' immediate family, who flew in from Israel.
Security personnel investigate the scene on Bourbon Street after a car plowed into a crowd of people, Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The men ended up going to New Orleans on New Year's Eve and “accidentally stumbled upon the scene,” Shoshan said.
One of the men was more seriously injured than the other. He suffered head trauma, internal injuries, and injuries to his limbs. Shoshan said that doctors are still trying to stabilize his condition after he has already undergone “two surgeries on his head.”
“We hope that the next few days will determine whether he will survive this crisis,” Shoshan said. “We hope and pray for that.”
Shushan said that the second Israeli suffered moderate injuries and underwent two different surgeries on his limbs. The diplomat added that he also suffers from internal injuries but has shown significant progress over the past 48 hours.
“He seems to be more stable, communicative and responsive,” Shushan said.
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Shoshan thanked the medical staff and authorities in the state of Louisiana. And so is the FBI. He said he was also grateful for the outpouring of support from New Orleans' small Jewish community of about 12,000 people.
He said: “We, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will do whatever it takes to support, assist and assist every Israeli in need, regardless of where they are.” “No matter what happened to him or her, we do it all over the world. This is part of our role as diplomats working in different missions around the world.”
