Two Explosions, One Car-Rental App: Are New Year Terror Attacks Connected? – News18

Last Updated:January 02, 2025, 08:53 IST

Elon Musk, too, wrote on X, suggesting that the two cases were perhaps linked in some way.

The New Orleans terror attack where 15 people were killed and the Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Day share a surprising connection: a car-renting app Turo.

Although officials have found no evidence that would directly link the two incidents, investigators confirmed both the pickup truck used in the Bourbon Street attack and the Tesla truck involved in the explosion were rented through Turo.

Elon Musk, too, wrote on X, suggesting that the two cases were “perhaps linked in some way”. In a post on social media site X, Musk wrote: “Appears likely to be an act of terrorism. Both this Cybertruck and the F-150 suicide bomb in New Orleans were rented from Turo. Perhaps they are linked in some way.”

What Is Turo

Turo is a platform where users can rent vehicles from trusted hosts registered on the site.

The service was used to book vehicles involved in two separate attacks on Wednesday.

Users enter their location and are shown a range of rental cars available in the area, from sports cars to minivans and everything in between.

The New Orleans Attack

At least 15 people lost their lives while several were injured after a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers early Wednesday. The devastating attack took place near the famous Bourbon Street.

Authorities are now investigating potential connections between the suspect, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, and the Islamic State terrorist group.

The rampage, which occurred just after 3 am, left the city in shock and raised serious concerns about security in the busy French Quarter. Jabbar was fatally shot in a confrontation with police after crashing his rented truck.

Investigators later discovered an ISIS flag, weapons, and a possible explosive device inside the vehicle, fueling fears of a coordinated terrorist operation.