PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — After at least 15 people were killed after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, WPTV spoke with a former special agent of the FBI who said that while the attack was tragic, incidents like this on innocent bystanders are something that has been on the FBI's radar for the past four years.
Federal law enforcement officers say no place is safe from terrorist acts, and they expect local and federal law enforcement to be more alert than ever.
The tragedy in New Orleans was accompanied by the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas that the FBI is investigating as a potential terrorist attack, NBC reports.
Tom Miller has over 40 years of experience in the Secret Service.
"For many years, we, in this country, just kind of went where we wanted to go," Miller said. "We didn't really think if the police will be there if we need them, but likely it's not going to happen. I would challenge everybody not to have that attitude."
With less than a month until Donald Trump is set to take office, the Secret Service is applying the needed resources to keep him as safe as possible locally. However, he cautions the rest of the country to be more alert to attacks like the one in New Orleans.
"Wherever you go, ask yourself where would I exit quickly," Miller said. "Also, you watch what people are doing. Unfortunately, in many of these attacks, people are acting suspiciously, not the one in New Orleans, but normally, this is a precursor."
