Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the FBI has "been ignoring these radicalized Islamists in our country, and we have no idea how many cells are there."
Earlier Wednesday, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, rammed a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens of others before being shot to death by police, according to authorities. An Islamic State flag was found on the vehicle's trailer hitch, and FBI is investigating the evidence as a potential link to an act of terrorism. Van Duyne said as the facts come out the attack "sounds like it's more than just a lone wolf."
"They were saying that you have people who are looking at not only who had rented the truck, but there were three men and a woman who they've got video of putting on explosive devices in the truck that this looks like it was a cell," Van Duyne said during an appearance on "The Chris Salcedo Show."
The congresswoman said it appears the "FBI was not prepared" for this kind of attack as the bureau had its priorities elsewhere. She added that the new administration will fix what's broken.
"They [the FBI] have been more focused on DEI initiatives. They've been more focused on cracking down again on parents who are interested in their kids' future than they have about legitimate terrorist activity in our country. That's something to be concerned about. And I am very excited about [nominated FBI Director Kash] Patel coming in, taking control of the FBI, getting that kind of radicalization out of the FBI," Van Duyne said.
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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