There was some initial confusion in the immediate aftermath over whether officials were calling the Bourbon Street attack terrorism or not.
WASHINGTON — With authorities officially investigating the deadly Bourbon Street attack as “an act of terrorism,” many people may be wondering exactly what federal officials count as “terrorism.”
At least 10 people have been killed and 35 were injured after a man in a pickup truck, “hell-bent” on creating carnage, intentionally drove into a crowd in the bustling French Quarter district of New Orleans in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, according to authorities.
During the first press conference early Wednesday morning, the mayor of New Orleans right away called the mass casualty incident a terror attack, but an FBI agent a few minutes later said it wasn’t a terrorist incident – prompting confusion online.
The FBI did later confirm it was investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism.”
The suspect has since been identified by the FBI as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar. The suspect was carrying an ISIS flag in the truck, and authorities have said he was dressed in military gear.
What defines a terrorist attack?
According to the FBI, the agency defines domestic terrorism as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”
As for international terrorism, the FBI describes it as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).”
“Protecting the United States from terrorist attacks is the FBI’s number one priority,” the agency states on its website. “The Bureau works closely with its partners to neutralize terrorist cells and operatives here in the United States, to help dismantle extremist networks worldwide, and to cut off financing and other forms of support provided to foreign terrorist organizations.”