Two Israelis, among the more than 30 surviving victims injured in the New Orleans terrorist attack, were reservists who were granted leave from the Hamas war and decided to come to the United States as tourists. Yes, an Israeli diplomat told FOX News Digital.
Elad Shoshan, the Israeli consul in the southwestern United States, is based in Houston but traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of the truck ramming attack that killed 14 people celebrating the New Year on famous Bourbon Street. I traveled.
Shoshan said the families of the two injured Israelis preferred not to have their names published. They are not locals, but two Israeli tourists. Both of them are in their mid to late 20s and decided to come to the United States for about a month and a half.
“They served as soldiers in wars with Israel for a long time and were able to get time off to refresh and get off things. And that's why they come here, and then travel,” Shoshan said. he told FOX News Digital. “They were called into the current war as reservists. So they participated, participated and contributed like many other Israeli citizens who were called into the reservists. And again, they came here to travel. I came here.”
Shoshan said that as soon as he learned that an Israeli was injured in New Orleans, he jumped on a plane to New Orleans and contacted federal authorities. He said he was told by law enforcement that Israelis were not specifically targeted.
“What we know so far is that it's not an attack on Israelis or Jews specifically, but on Americans and tourists from all over the world, and that the perpetrators are trying to figure out how to do as much damage as possible. 'And unfortunately, kill as many people as possible,' Shoshan told FOX News Digital. “They were in the path of the ramming, and they got hit pretty early on.”
New Orleans truck crash attack: Terror suspect seen in eerie surveillance hours before Bourbon Street massacre
The FBI said the late suspect Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a rented Ford pickup truck through the crowd at high speeds. bourbon street Officials reveled in attacks they claimed were inspired by Islamic State.
Federal investigators now say they believe Mr. Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran and American citizen, has become radicalized. He was raised as a Muslim in Texas.
Shamsud Din Jabbar is seen in an undated photo released by the FBI after he was killed in a shootout with responding police officers after a pickup truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. (FBI)
Shoshan said it was an “unfortunate irony” that two Israelis who fought terrorism in their homes after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks became victims of U.S. terrorism.
The diplomat said anti-Israel protests, including anti-Semitic rhetoric, are taking place in U.S. cities and Ivy League campuses, calling for a signal of a “global intifada” that “the West is next.” It added a warning to the United States about Islamic extremist ideology.
“It's an unfortunate irony that we're facing this problem day after day in the Middle East and Israel until October 7th. But after October 7th it's going to be quite a while. And they're definitely going to see this happen.” I don't think they expected it to be a terrorist attack in the French Quarter in New Orleans and New Year's Eve,'' Shoshan said. “Read the signs, and when I say read the signs, I'm talking about the actual plaques. When they say, people demonstrate and say, 'Globalizing the Intifada.' When we say, and we say, the West is next.”
“People are not just saying that people are actually rooted and want violence, want to kill, want to cause damage, want to cause terrorism. We're seeing that happening more and more around the world. We're seeing it happening in the United States,” and we've seen it in the past. ” he said. “This simple hatred that we have faced every day in Israel for years is nothing new. We saw the hateful rhetoric and demonstrations against the West, against America, against Israel, saying loud and clear that they want to export violence from the Middle East to America, and we want to do that. I saw it happen just two days ago.”
Soldiers walk down Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Thursday, January 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The border crisis in the United States has increased the threat of terrorism. The FBI found bomb-making materials at Shabar's home in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Houston.
Shoshan said that in just the past year, there have been two separate arrests in Houston of people allegedly crossing the border with the intent to harm Israelis, Jews, and specifically the Israeli consulate in Houston. .
What we know about the victims of the New Orleans terrorist attack
“I think the main message we're seeing from Israel to the United States is to act decisively, by any means necessary. So if you want to put out a fire, put out 80% of the fire, put 100% of the fire out. The remaining 20% will rise again and cause more fires and damage later on.To eradicate terrorism, we need to focus on dealing with it on a daily basis. We know this in Israel,” Shoshan said. “I'm in touch with the authorities here.”
“The FBI and other agencies are helping us and providing us with tremendous support during this time, and we hope that the American people will better understand that we are facing something mutual.” I hope you do,” he added. “This threat is interconnected and a threat not only to us, but also to the entire world. And we must be resolute in this situation. We must do everything possible to eliminate that threat. You have to do everything.”
The two injured Israelis were scheduled to end their trip to the United States with their uncle in Florida, but they never arrived. The uncle was in New Orleans shortly after the attack, and the victim's next of kin also flew in from Israel.
Troopers investigate a scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle plows into a crowd on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Shoshan said the men ended up in New Orleans on New Year's Eve and “basically stumbled onto the scene by accident.”
One of the men was more seriously injured than the other. He suffered head trauma, internal injuries and limb damage. Shoshan said he had already undergone “two head surgeries” and doctors were still working to stabilize him.
“We're hoping that in the next few days we'll see and decide if he's going to survive. We hope and pray that,” Shoshan said.
The second Israeli suffered minor injuries and underwent two different surgeries on his limbs, Shoshan said. The diplomat added that he also has internal injuries but has shown great progress in the past 48 hours.
“He seems to be a lot more stable, a lot more communicative, a lot more responsive,” Shoshan said.
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Mr. Shoshan thanked the medical staff and authorities in Louisiana, as well as the FBI. He also said he is grateful for the outpouring of support from New Orleans' small Jewish community of about 12,000 people.
“We at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do whatever it takes to support and assist all Israelis in need, wherever they are,” he said. “And no matter what happens to him or her, we do it all over the world. And that's part of our role as diplomats based in different missions around the world. .”
