Fourteen people were dead and 35 others injured after the tragic New Orleans attack on Jan. 1, but a large swath of MAGA diehards were preoccupied with something else: the Black FBI agent who, in the early chaos, stated, “This is not a terrorist event.” In the aftermath of the killing spree, the far right attacked Alethea Duncan, the FBI assistant special agent in charge, for her initial assessment, calling into question her professionalism and mocking her for wearing a small stud in her nose. Now, Duncan has been temporarily reassigned, according to Fox News. While she reportedly still works for the FBI, no details about her new position have been released. FBI agent Alethea Duncan speaks at a press conference on Jan. 1, 2025. (Photo: X screenshot/Benny Johnson) In the early hours of Jan. 1, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove his pickup truck into a blocked-off area of bustling Bourbon Street, plowing into a crowd of New Year’s revelers. Jabbar jumped out of his vehicle and exchanged gunfire with New Orleans police officers, who killed him at the scene. The FBI immediately took over the investigation, and during an initial press briefing that morning, Agent Duncan spoke about the evolving situation: “This is not a terrorist event. What it is right now is there’s an improvised explosive device that was found, and we’re working on confirming if it was a viable device or not.” Duncan was also criticized for contradicting the claim by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell that the attack was terrorist in nature. A few hours later, Duncan presented new information at another press briefing, sharing that a covered-up ISIS flag was discovered on the trailer hitch, several weapons and improvised explosives were found in the truck, and other IEDs had been implanted in the French Quarter. The deadly car ramming was now being investigated as a terrorist attack, she stated. Despite the fact Duncan identified Jabbar as a U.S. citizen from Texas, President-elect Donald Trump wrongly claimed he was an immigrant on social media, adding further confusion. Now, following Fox News’ reporting that the FBI has temporarily reassigned Duncan, right-wing critics are kicking into high gear — again. And they’re predictably blaming DEI — and Duncan — for just about everything. “Enough is enough. Kash Patel needs to scorch the earth and clean house because every last agent infected with this DEI nonsense needs to be shown the door,” read a rant tagging Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, who technically falls into the DEI category as the Indian-American son of immigrant parents. “The nose-ringed FBI / DEI dud who stupidly, dishonestly said the New Orleans terrorist attack was NOT a terrorist attack–was ‘reassigned,’” snipped another. “RIP Agent Nose Ring — we hardly knew ye…” an X user said, prompting the straight-up racist response, “She’s probably already eating watermelon.” But in the latest round of brutal attacks on Duncan, several voices in the far right have emerged questioning the sudden turn of events. “In fairness, I guarantee you she was told to say this or at least told it was not that type of event and just repeated it. I have a feeling she is taking the fall for it,” wrote one. “I hope she’s not a scapegoat. If the order to say that came down the chain to her, they need to go back up that chain and fire the source, said another. The FBI shuttered its DEI office in December and has not commented on Duncan’s reassignment, leaving speculation to run wild. ‘Probably Already Eating Watermelon’: Black FBI Agent Who Faced Racist Attacks By MAGA Trolls After New Orleans Terror Attack Reportedly Has Been Reassigned