After FBI agent confidently stated New Orleans attack was ‘not a terrorist event,’ ISIS flag reportedly found in his truck

Multiple sources are reporting that the attacker in the deadly New Orleans attack that killed 10 people and injured dozens more was carrying an ISIS flag at the time of the attack, leading many to question how and why an FBI special agent confidently declared that the attack was “not a terrorist event” early on in the investigation.

Witnesses indicated that the attacker was flying a “large black flag” from his truck at the time of the attack, which would be consistent with a description of the ISIS flag. The FBI has since confirmed that the flag was, indeed, an ISIS flag, leading many to harshly criticize the FBI’s initial response to the attack, which flatly denied any connection to terrorism.

In the earliest public comments after the attack was reported, New Orleans mayor Latoya Cantrell told the media that the attack was a “terrrorist attack.” However, she was immediately contradicted by FBI Special Agent Althea Duncan, who confidently declared that this was “not a terrorist event,” a public posture that the FBI maintained for a significant amount of time in spite of apparently being aware that the suspect had driven a truck packed with explosives into a crowd while flying an ISIS flag.

The FBI has since changed gears and acknowledged that it is investigating the incident as a terrorist attack. The FBI has not immediately responded to a request for comment as to why one of their agents publicly declared that the attack was not terrorism in spite of such a significant piece of evidence that would suggest a terrorist motivation.

The response drew harsh criticism on Twitter from numerous prominent conservatives, who viewed the apparent whitewashing of the suspect’s support for ISIS as evidence of rot within the FBI.

Others criticized the FBI’s ongoing failure to address how such a high-ranking FBI official on the scene could have made such a remark:

Officials have not yet identified the suspect, but they have indicated that he was a U.S. citizen who was born in Texas. Other than confirming that he died at the scene, no further information has yet been released.

This is a developing story and will be updated as events warrant.