Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 6, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Capturing the moments of your Manitoba Choose from 150 years of Free Press archived photos. M A K E S A N I D E A L G I F T winnipegfreepress.com/ photostore SERVING MANITOBA SINCE 1872. FOREVER WITH YOUR SUPPORT. MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2025 WEATHER SCATTERED FLURRIES. HIGH -18 — LOW -24 CITY CITY EYES SPEED LIMITS FOR E-BIKES, SCOOTERS / B1 Man who drove truck into crowd, killing 14, previously recorded video of French Quarter with Meta smart glasses New Orleans attacker once visited Canada N EW ORLEANS — The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that killed 14 people visited the city twice before and recorded video of the French Quarter with Meta smart glasses, an FBI official said Sunday. Shamsud-Din Jabbar also travelled to Cairo and Canada before the attack although it was not yet clear whether those trips were connected to the at- tack, Deputy Assistant Director Chris- topher Raia said at a news conference. Federal officials believe Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and former U.S. Army soldier, was inspired by the Islamic State mili- tant group to carry out the attack. Police fatally shot Jabbar, 42, during an exchange of gunfire at the scene of the deadly crash of the rented pick- up truck on Bourbon Street, famous worldwide for its festive vibes in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. Canadian Public Safety Minister Da- vid McGuinty said the Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed that the man behind the deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans travelled to Ontario in July 2023. A statement from McGuinty on Sun- day said Canada’s border agency con- firmed that Jabbar travelled to Canada from Houston, Texas, for four days before returning to the U.S in 2023. McGuinty said Sunday that he en- courages “anyone who may have come into contact with the attacker and who may have information pertinent to the FBI’s investigation to reach out to the appropriate law enforcement authori- ties.” “Canadian authorities will continue to work with their American counter- parts, including the FBI, as they pur- sue their investigation,” McGuinty’s statement said. The RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Security In- telligence Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment about Jabbar’s 2023 travels to Canada. U.S. federal investigators so far believe Jabbar acted alone, but are continuing to explore his contacts. “All investigative details and evi- dence that we have now still support that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans,” said Raia. “We have not seen any indications of an accomplice in the United States, but we are still looking into potential associates in the U.S. and outside of our borders.” Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans Field Office, said Jabbar was in Cairo, Egypt for about two weeks in late June and early July 2023, and flew to Ontario on July 10 before returning to the U.S. on July 13. Second blaze hits Morden golf clubhouse A golf clubhouse in the Pembina Valley has been ravaged by fire, days after it celebrated its grand reopening fol- lowing a blaze that razed the building about three years ago. The Minnewasta Golf and Country Club, a treasured attraction near the town of Morden, caught fire for the second time shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday, Chief Andy Thiessen of Mor- den Fire and Rescue said. The blaze caused significant damage to the clubhouse, restaurant and ban- quet facility, which officially opened to the public last weekend. Thiessen said it appears the fire started in the kitchen area. “The news from the golf course is truly devastating. Especially heart- breaking because we had just celebrat- ed the ribbon cutting on New Year’s Eve,” Morden Mayor Nancy Penner said. “We celebrated at midnight with fire works. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening and now, five days later, we are back to square one.” Firefighters from Morden, Winkler and Plum Coulee battled the blaze overnight, as temperatures plummet- ed as low as -28 C before warming throughout the day. No injuries were reported, Thiessen said. Crews remained on scene Sunday afternoon, and Thiessen expected they would continue to monitor for flareups and hot spots into the early evening. “Ironically, the cold weather is helping us in that regard, but it was also a deterrent while we were actually fighting the fire,” he said. Thiessen could not provide exact fig- ures, but estimated losses could total up to $6 million. He credited the fire crews for work- ing quickly to contain the blaze. “I have the utmost respect for them. They did the best they could, and un- der the conditions, they went over and above,” he said. “We were able to save a fair bit (of the building)… it’s not a total loss this time.” The building, located about a five-minute drive southwest of Mor- den’s town centre, was destroyed in a blaze in November 2021. The cause of that fire was later linked to a malfunctioning electrical box. Community members rallied together to raise funds and build the facility anew, Thiessen said. TYLER SEARLE JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS HAVING A BALL Harlem Globetrotters’ Speedy Artis dribbles the basketball past the opposition Washington Generals at Canada Life Centre Sunday. The world-famous Globetrotters dazzled the Winnipeg crowd with their spins, slams, dunks and trick plays. JACK BROOK, STEPHEN SMITH AND SARA CLINE ● NEW ORLEANS, CONTINUED ON A2 ● CLUBHOUSE, CONTINUED ON A2 Trudeau set to step down as leader, Globe reports OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail is reporting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to announce he is stepping down as Liberal party leader as early as today. Trudeau has faced mounting calls for his resignation from MPs in his caucus as public opinion polls have continued to put the governing Liber- als trailing far behind the Conserva- tives. The Globe report says three sources, who weren’t authorized to speak about the matter publicly, did not know a specific timeline but they expected Trudeau would announce his plans before a national caucus meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The Canadian Press has not inde- pendently confirmed the Globe report. Trudeau’s itinerary says he is set to take part in a cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations today. It’s not clear if Trudeau will stay on as prime minister or if an interim leader would be selected through a Liberal leader- ship race if he decides to step down. Last week, Winnipeg South Centre MP Ben Carr became the first Man- itoba Liberal MP to publicly call for Trudeau to step down as his party’s leader. “I do not arrive at this decision easi- ly, nor do I make it happily,” Carr said Friday in a statement first provided to the Free Press. “I made a commitment to act with the utmost integrity in every action I undertake.… It means to be hon- est, open and to make decisions with conviction and only after thorough and thoughtful reflection. It is with those principles in mind that today I call for a change in the leadership of the Liber- al Party of Canada.” Carr said he came to the decision after “daily conversations with constit- uents, supporters, mentors, friends and colleagues over a prolonged period, out of which has emerged a clear belief that it is time for change.” “I felt somehow as though I would be betraying my party, leader and colleagues. As time has passed howev- er, and the further I reflected on the conversations … I concluded that it is in fact the opposite which is true,” he said. “What I have heard consistently from the people I represent, is that they are not feeling alienated by pro- gressive values and policies, but rather by our leadership.” — The Canadian Press, with Free Press files ;