Congresswoman calls for Fort Liberty whistleblowers to come forward after NOLA, Vegas attacks
A Florida congresswoman and Air Force veteran is urging anyone who encountered New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar or Las Vegas bomber Matthew Livelsberger at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, to contact her office.
She also asked for information on failed assassin Ryan Routh, a former North Carolina man who was arrested at President-elect Donald Trump's Florida golf course while allegedly aiming a rifle through the fence while the soon-to-be commander in chief was playing a round.
"If you are at Fort Bragg (Liberty) and have any information regarding these three men but are afraid to come forward to your chain of command, I can provide whistleblower protection and intake information," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna wrote in a post on X Thursday night.
Routh, 58, had roots in North Carolina but was most recently living in Hawaii. Luna appeared to reference a recent report that Routh, a civilian with a lengthy criminal history, had visited Fort Bragg dozens of times.
Luna is a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Her office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Army said Thursday that while both Jabbar and Livelsberger served at the North Carolina base, there was no overlap in the time they were stationed there.
In Las Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that while both men went to Afghanistan in 2009, any potential ties there were still under investigation.
"We don't have any evidence that they were in the same province in Afghanistan, the same location or the same unit," McMahill said. "Again, something else that remains under investigation."
Both men used the Turo app to rent electric pickup trucks used in the incidents, he said.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK
Between 2007 and 2015, Jabbar was a human resources specialist and an IT specialist. From 2015 to 2020, he remained an IT specialist in the Army Reserve. Livelsberger was an active-duty Army Green Beret in the 10th Special Forces group.
Livelsberger, 37, has been identified as the man who exploded inside a Cybertruck loaded with explosive and flammable material just steps from the front door at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day.
Speaking about a potential motive, authorities on Friday released sections of a "manifesto" left by Livelsberger, who wrote that "This was not a terrorist attack, it was a wake up call."
PTSD and ongoing family problems were likely factors as well, sheriff's officials said.
Hours earlier, Jabbar, 42, plowed a rented Ford EV pickup into pedestrians on New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street, killing at least 14 and injuring more than 30. After crashing, he opened fire on police and died in a shootout. The FBI said Thursday that the Texas native had vowed allegiance to ISIS and was a domestic terrorist.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia told reporters in New Orleans Thursday that there was "no definitive link" uncovered between the attack and the explosion, but authorities on both cases said they were still investigating.