HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — FBI Houston is back at the home of the suspect in the deadly attack in New Orleans on Friday.
ABC13 confirmed the FBI was conducting court-ordered law enforcement activity. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in securing a perimeter around the property.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, who allegedly plowed into crowds of New Orleans revelers on the morning of New Years, lived in a mobile home on Crescent Peak Drive in north Harris County, a predominantly Muslim community.
Multiple people associated with the property said Jabbar moved out on Monday. The landlord said he gave a month’s notice that he would be leaving the property that he had lived in for about two years. He reportedly told her that he was being transferred for work to New Orleans.
She said someone from New Orleans associated with a rental property reached out to her as a reference for Jabbar. She described him as being a good tenant and was stunned to hear the news.
The FBI and Harris County Sheriff’s Office searched his home on Wednesday. Officers arrived at about 3 p.m., and the FBI said they left at 7:50 a.m. on Thursday.
Law enforcement sources told ABC13 that investigators found precursor chemicals that can be used in explosives.
The FBI and DHS issued a joint intelligence bulletin warningabout potential copycats seeking to emulate the New Orleans attack.
On Thursday, the front door to his mobile home was open, and the frame was barely connected to the building.
Jabbar left behind furniture and personal effects, including shoes, a suitcase, and decor. A Quran was displayed atop his bookshelf, and a book on Christianity was on a lower shelf.
Another man who lives on the property and helps the landlord said Jabbar said he was leaving the items behind for the next tenant.
He described Jabbar as being kind and said he kept to himself and did not have visitors.
The neighbor said Jabbar was upset about moving and told him he felt comfortable in that space on Crescent Peak.
Jabbar’s half-brother, Abdur, described him as charismatic, thoughtful, and compassionate. He said Jabbar had a good job in IT but was isolated.
He did not know why his half-brother would commit such an act. Abdur said he found out about what happened from his aunt, and he was in disbelief.
“He was a practicing Muslim as far as I knew, but this type of extremism and radicalization, I didn’t know anything about any of this,” Abdur said.
Abdur wondered if his brother was suffering from mental health struggles that his family did not know about or if isolation affected him.
January 3, 2025 – The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, called for warning labels on alcoholic beverages to include cancer risks, aligning with measures already in place for tobacco products. This announcement comes as the federal government prepares to update its dietary guidelines, sparking renewed debate over the health implications of moderate drinking.
For years, moderate alcohol consumption was believed to protect against heart disease, a view entrenched in public health guidelines. However, growing research suggests that even moderate alcohol intake can significantly increase the risk of cancer. Alcohol is directly linked to approximately 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths annually, according to Dr. Murthy.
Current labels warn against alcohol use during pregnancy and activities like driving but omit cancer risks. Dr. Murthy emphasized the need for updated warnings to highlight the increased risks of breast, colon, and other cancers.
“Many assume that drinking within recommended guidelines—one drink per day for women and two for men—poses no health risks,” Dr. Murthy said. “The data does not support that assumption, particularly for cancer risk.”
Alcohol and Cancer: The Evidence
Alcohol consumption is a known carcinogen, contributing to cancers such as breast, mouth, throat, and colon cancer. Studies show that even one drink a day can increase the risk of breast cancer by 10% and mouth cancer by 40%. Research has also linked moderate alcohol use to heart conditions like atrial fibrillation, challenging earlier claims that small amounts of alcohol benefit cardiovascular health.
Alcohol’s carcinogenic effects are attributed to its breakdown in the body into acetaldehyde, a compound that damages DNA and promotes tumor growth. It also increases oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormone levels such as estrogen, which are linked to cancer development.
Despite this evidence, U.S. alcohol labels have not been updated since 1988. Globally, only a few nations, like South Korea and Ireland, mandate cancer warnings on alcohol packaging.
Calls for Legislative Action
While the Surgeon General can recommend new guidelines, Congress must enact legislation to update warning labels. Industry resistance and international trade challenges have historically stalled such efforts. In Canada, a study on cancer warning labels was prematurely terminated due to industry opposition.
Dr. Murthy’s push for change reflects a growing consensus among health experts. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) assert that no level of alcohol consumption is entirely safe. Yet, public awareness remains low: a 2019 survey revealed that fewer than half of Americans recognize alcohol as a cancer risk, compared to 89% for tobacco.
Updated Dietary Guidelines
The federal government’s forthcoming dietary guidelines will incorporate recent research on alcohol and health risks. While past recommendations allowed up to two drinks daily for men, there is growing momentum to tighten these limits.
“Less is better when it comes to reducing cancer risk,” Dr. Murthy concluded. “While occasional drinking may pose lower risks, daily consumption significantly increases the likelihood of developing alcohol-related cancers.”
The Surgeon General’s call for action underscores the importance of informed choices about alcohol use. With mounting evidence linking alcohol to cancer, the debate over warning labels is likely to intensify in the months ahead.
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Ágnes Keleti, a Holocaust survivor and the oldest living Olympic medal winner, has died. She was 103.
Keleti died Thursday morning in Budapest, the Hungarian state news agency reported. She was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia on Dec. 25.
Agnes Keleti, former Olympic gold medal winning gymnast, smiles at her apartment in Budapest, Hungary Wednesday Jan. 8, 2020.AP Photo/Laszlo Balogh, File
She won a total of 10 Olympic medals in gymnastics, including five golds, for Hungary at the 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 Melbourne Games. She overcame the loss of her father and several relatives in the Holocaust to become one of the most successful Jewish Olympic athletes.
“These 100 years felt to me like 60,” Keleti told The Associated Press on the eve of her 100th birthday. “I live well. And I love life. It’s great that I’m still healthy.”
Born Ágnes Klein in 1921 in Budapest, her career was interrupted by World War II and the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics. Forced off her gymnastics team in 1941 because of her Jewish ancestry, Keleti went into hiding in the Hungarian countryside, where she survived the Holocaust by assuming a false identity and working as a maid.
Her mother and sister survived the war with the help of famed Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, but her father and other relatives perished at Auschwitz, among the more than half a million Hungarian Jews killed in Nazi death camps and by Hungarian Nazi collaborators.
Resuming her career after the war, Keleti was set to compete at the 1948 London Olympics, but a last-minute ankle injury dashed her hopes.
Four years later, she made her Olympic debut at the 1952 Helsinki Games at the age of 31, winning a gold medal in the floor exercise as well as a silver and two bronzes. In 1956, she became the most successful athlete at the Melbourne Olympics, winning four gold and two silver medals.
While she was becoming the oldest gold medalist in gymnastics history at age 35 in Melbourne, the Soviet Union invaded Hungary following an unsuccessful anti-Soviet uprising. Keleti remained in Australia and sought political asylum. She then immigrated to Israel the following year and worked as a trainer and coached the Israeli Olympic gymnastics team until the 1990s.
LAS VEGAS — The suspected driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded Wednesday outside the Trump International Las Vegas Hotel has been identified as active duty Army soldier Matthew Livelsberger, according to an official briefed on the probe.
The FBI, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are searching his Colorado Springs home on Thursday morning, officials said.
Livelsberger had already been identified as the person who rented the vehicle via the Turo app, though officials previously said they had still been working through forensics to determine the identity of the person behind the wheel at the time of the incident. The fire and explosion made the identification process difficult because of the physical injuries sustained by the driver, the official said.
Livelsberger served in the Army and was on approved leave at the time of his death, a U.S. Army spokesperson said Thursday.
The incident is not believed to have any direct connection to the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people — as well as the suspect — and injured 35 others, according to the FBI.
“At this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas,” the FBI’s Christopher Raia said Thursday morning at a press conference on the New Orleans attack.
The military is looking into whether the two drivers may have overlapped at Fort Liberty or in Afghanistan, though no evidence suggests the two ever were assigned together or knew each other, according to the official briefed on the probe.
Livelsberger was a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, the official briefed on the probe told ABC News. His wife, who investigators spoke to in Colorado Springs, said he had been out of the house since around Christmas after a dispute over allegations of infidelity, the official said.
His wife told officials she did not believe Livelsberger would want to hurt anyone, the official told ABC News.
Two firearms — one handgun and one rifle — were found badly burned inside the vehicle. Livelsberger is believed to have told the person he rented the truck from that he was going camping at the Grand Canyon, the official told ABC News.
Investigators are still looking to determine how the items in the truck were detonated, but with the contents of the vehicle so badly burned, it may be a slow process, according to the official.
The vehicle was picked up by license plate readers traveling from Colorado to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.
The investigation into the incident spans at least four states, and law enforcement officials are probing it as a possible act of terror.
The motive behind the incident remains under investigation, even as investigators tell ABC News that they believe it was “intentional.”
The driver of the Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of the hotel and the vehicle exploded, according to an official. The driver was the only fatality from the incident. Seven bystanders had minor injuries, authorities said.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters the truck was in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before it exploded.
The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and by giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
McMahill said investigators were looking into any possible connections to the deadly attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday but had not yet discovered any. The truck used in the New Orleans attack was also rented via the Turo app, sources said.
Video played at the Las Vegas news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
McMahill said police believe the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community.” He also said police do not believe anyone was helping the Las Vegas suspect.
“We believe everything is safe now,” McMahill said.
The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to Trump.
Musk, a close ally of Trump, said on Wednesday afternoon that the “whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.”
“Will post more information as soon as we learn anything,” Musk wrote on X, which he also owns. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Musk later posted on X: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.” It’s not known if Musk’s claim has been independently verified.
An official briefed on the investigation told ABC News “this was not a lithium battery” blast, as some have speculated online. There have been instances in the past of battery compartments in Tesla vehicles spontaneously catching fire.
Trump’s son Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted on social media about the incident.
“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” he wrote. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”
The hotel also issued a statement on X suggesting the car involved was electric.
“Earlier today a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” the hotel wrote. “The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and explosion near the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and has directed his team to offer any federal assistance needed, the White House said.
NEW ORLEANS, La. — A man in a white pickup truck, who was “hellbent” on killing as many people as possible, drove around barricades and plowed his vehicle through a crowd of New Year’s Eve revellers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on Wednesday, leaving at least 10 dead and injuring dozens of others, city and federal officials said.
The suspect was killed by police in shootout, ABC News Aaron Katersky reports.
At least 10 people are dead and about 30 others injured after a vehicle struck a crowd on Bourbon Street, New Orlea…Show more
In addition to going at a fast pace, the suspect was allegedly firing a gun as he mowed people down, law enforcement officials said. He was shot and killed by police when he got out of his vehicle with an assault rifle, the officials said.
LaToya Cantrell, the mayor of New Orleans, described the incident as a “terrorist attack.” The FBI said it wasn’t yet using that term. Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of police, said the driver had attempted to kill as many people as possible.
By the time the melee had ended, some 30 people were injured, New Orleans police and city officials said.
The strike appeared to be intentional, police told ABC News, adding the driver had not been taken into custody. Local authorities asked the FBI for assistance early on Wednesday, a senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News. A command center was being set up, the source said.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Gov. Jeff Landry said, adding that his family was praying for the victims and first responders.
Leading up to the holidays, federal law enforcement and intelligence had warned police around the country that low-tech vehicle ramming was a key area of concern and that they needed to prepare — and that was before the German Christmas market attack on Dec. 20, in which five people were killed.
In a Dec. 9 assessment for the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, federal and local agencies wrote: “We remain concerned about the use of vehicle ramming against high-profile outdoor events…Vehicle ramming has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors in the West, marked by a continued interest by (terrorists, extremists) and lone offenders in targeting crowded pedestrian areas.”
The City of New Orleans, describing Wednesday’s event as a “mass casualty incident,” said the vehicle drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon streets. Police said the strike happened at about 3:15 a.m., according to ABC News affiliate WGNO.
“There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS and 10 fatalities,” the city said, using an acronym for the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services.
The police superintendent later said at least 31 had been injured. They were taken to five local hospitals, according to the city. They were at University Medical Center, Touro Hospital, East Jefferson General Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Campus and Ochsner Baptist Campus.
The New Orleans Police Department said it was “staffed 100%” for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl, a college football game played annually on New Year’s Day. An additional 300 officers were on duty from partner agencies, the force said.
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight and the White House has been in touch with New Orleans Mayor Cantrell to offer support. The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day,” the White House said in a statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Cooler and seasonal conditions are here to start off January and 2025 before even cold weather arrives next week.
For all the New Year celebrations, we expect temperatures to fall through the 50s during the evening and make it into the upper 40s under a clear sky at the stroke of midnight. There should be enough wind blowing to prevent any foggy concerns. In years past, fireworks smoke has mixed with dense fog to bring terrible visibility, but we do not expect that to occur this year. Temperatures will then continue to fall into the low-mid 40s by Wednesday morning with a cool and sunny day ahead for the first one of 2025.
Is any more severe weather on the way?
Thankfully, no! We will have a chance of chilly showers on Thursday followed by a shower and thunderstorm chance on Sunday when our next cold front arrives. This front will mark a pattern change that could bring arctic air into the state of Texas next week.
What can we expect for the first weekend of 2025?
The weekend will start off with sunshine and mild weather with afternoon high temperatures in the upper 60s Saturday, then mid 70s for Sunday! This warm up though is paired with the next weather system that could bring a few showers and storms for Sunday. Right now we have a 40% chance for storms on Sunday.
Is a hard freeze possible, and could we get any frozen precipitation?
The answer to both questions is yes, but it’s too soon to know how severe the cold will get and if we’ll have the moisture around to get any wintry precipitation. If the arctic air slides more southeast toward Florida, we would just end up with a light freeze and stay dry.
However, if the arctic air slides straight toward Texas and we get an upper low to throw Pacific moisture over the top, then we could get a hard freeze and see that overlap of cold and moisture lead to snow, sleet, or freezing rain. It’s just too soon to know how it will all unfold, so stay looped in for now. The earliest we expect any freezing weather to arrive is next Monday, so we have all this week to monitor the situation, and we’ll have a mild weekend ahead to prepare. If we were to get any wintry precipitation, that would likely occur on or around Wednesday of next week.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A tourist helicopter flipped over after attempting to take off near the Galveston Seawall Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.
The Galveston Police Department said it happened at round 12:21 p.m. in the 500 block of Seawall Boulevard.
Police said the pilot was the only one on board and was not injured. The pilot was able to exit the aircraft on his own, according to police.
SkyEye flew over the scene, showing the chopper tilted over and a $50 helicopter ride sign.
After completing their investigation, the FAA released the scene back to theaircraft’s owner, Galveston Helicopter Adventures, so they could make arrangements for removal of the damaged helicopter.
Several laws, including changes to vehicle inspections and property taxes, take effect on Jan. 1 in Texas.
During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2, known as the Property Tax Relief Act.
Most of it is already in effect to help with property tax relief, but what’s new in 2025 is a tax circuit breaker.
Homeowners and businesses may be eligible to claim a circuit breaker tax credit. That credit essentially limits the amount property taxes can increase in a certain period in Texas.
The remaining provisions of the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, which have already taken effect in most parts, are also new for 2025.
The new section authorizes procedures for Texans to designate a registered agent who may make data privacy-related decisions on behalf of another resident.
Texas lawmakers begin the 89th Legislative session on Jan.14 in Austin.
Lawmakers have already filed a record number of bills, with some of the big topics being abortion, border and immigration, guns, property taxes, and, of course, public education.
There is a major push for school choice, which could lead to a type of school voucher program that would provide public funds directly to families to help them pay for their children’s private schooling and other educational expenses.
Beginning Jan. 1, Texas drivers will no longer need to get an annual safety inspection to register their vehicles.
However, vehicles must pass emissions tests in major metropolitan areas, and all drivers will pay a $7.50 inspection replacement fee when renewing their vehicle registration. State lawmakers approved the policy change, spearheaded by Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, during the 2023 legislative session.
“With Texas being one of only a handful of states that still requires yearly safety inspections, eliminating the mandate is long overdue,” Harris said in a statement to Community Impact. “These inspections do not make roads safer, as evidenced by over 40 other states.”
Here’s what Texans should know before registering their vehicles in 2025.
The details
The new state law, House Bill 3297, eliminates mandatory safety inspections for noncommercial vehicles.
The $7.50 “inspection program replacement fee” will go to the state’s general revenue fund, a clean air account and the Texas Mobility Fund, which supports the construction and expansion of state highways. Drivers registering new vehicles will pay a $16.75 fee to cover two years, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Texans whose vehicles are registered in the following 17 urban counties will need to get an emissions test before renewing their registration:
Brazoria
Collin
Dallas
Denton
Ellis
El Paso
Fort Bend
Galveston
Harris
Johnson
Kaufman
Montgomery
Parker
Rockwall
Tarrant
Travis
Williamson
Bexar County will begin requiring an emissions test in 2026, according to the DPS.
Zooming in
During an emissions test, an inspector will check a vehicle’s engine and electronic systems to ensure cars do not release too many pollutants. In the above counties, vehicle registration will be denied if an individual has not gotten their emissions system checked or if the vehicle did not pass the inspection, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Electric vehicles will remain exempt from emissions tests, according to the DPS, and commercial vehicles—such as delivery trucks, buses and taxis—must still pass safety inspections.
The DPS encourages motorists to regularly service their vehicles to keep Texas roads safe. This includes ensuring a vehicle’s headlights, tail lights, horn, mirrors, windshield wipers, tires and more work properly. Driving a vehicle without functioning safety features is against the law, according to the DPS.
“Texans are responsible [and] fiercely independent, and I trust them to keep their cars and trucks safe while on the road. … I am proud to author this bill, which will free up over 40 million hours per year for Texas drivers,” Harris said.
