SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The FBI is the lead agency investigating what happened in the New Orleans attack on New Year's Day.
ABC 10News reporter Laura Acevedo spoke with a retired FBI agent hours after the attack, and he explained how agents and the agency work to investigate these types of large-scale crimes.
Gregg McCrary spent over 25 years with the FBI. He retired as a special agent in the Behavioral Science Unit. He was one of the first criminal profilers with extensive expertise in violent offenders like serial killers and terrorists.
McCrary says agents will look at everything to find out why the driver of the truck rammed into revelers on Bourbon Street, including looking at his digital footprint.
"Not only the web that everybody thinks of as using but the dark web as well because there’s a chance would be radicalized on this dark web, he could be meeting people there if they’re co-conspirators," says McCrary.
McCrary says there’s often a pattern among those who carry out these violent acts.
"The pattern is this: they feel justified for whatever reason, they don’t see any other alternative than violence, they don’t care about the consequences because he’s willing to die, as he did," explains the retired FBI supervisory special agent.
In addition to the driver’s online activity, McCrary says FBI investigators will leave no stone unturned, looking into his past for any red flags, and will look to speak with anyone who knew him.
