New Orleans New Year’s celebration turns deadly as man rams truck into crowd By Reuters
By Brian Thevenot
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – A 42-year-old Texas man drove a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day in New Orleans’ French Quarter and then opened fire on police, killing at least 10 people and wounding 35 The early morning attack was a potential act of terrorism, according to the FBI.
The driver, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, died at the scene of the shootout with police and may have been acting in concert with others, officials said.
The incident occurred at 3:15 a.m. (09:15 GMT) near the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon Street, a historic tourist destination in the city’s French Quarter known for drawing large crowds with its music and bars to attract.
An ISIS flag was found in the vehicle, sparking an investigation into possible ties to terrorist organizations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. It was said that the vehicle appeared to have been rented.
“We don’t believe Jabbar was solely responsible for this. We are aggressively pursuing every lead, including those of his known associates,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a news conference.
Investigators found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, and other potential explosive devices were found in the French Quarter, the FBI said. Two explosive devices were made safe, Duncan said.
She confirmed the death toll at 10 after a member of the US Congress said the number may have increased.
Officials have postponed the Sugar Bowl, a classic American college football game played every New Year’s Day in New Orleans, by 24 hours, organizers said. The city will also host the NFL Super Bowl on February 9th.
A city guide described the attacker as wearing full military gear.
“This is not just an act of terrorism, this is evil,” Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at the press conference.
“He really wanted to inflict the carnage and the damage that he caused,” she said at an earlier news conference.
Kirkpatrick said the driver, who was driving around barricades, shot and injured two police officers from inside the vehicle after the accident. The officers’ condition was stable, she added.
“As we look for a motive, remember that evil makes no sense,” New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas said.
According to police, approximately 400 officers were deployed in the French Quarter at the time of the incident.
“The situation is uncertain and we are coordinating with numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure a full and thorough investigation and bring those who may have been involved in this incident to justice,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said. on X
“TERRIBLE ACTION”
A verified video captured by a bystander shows at least two twisted bodies on the street, one lying in a pool of blood. A passerby kneels over one of the bodies as a group of uniformed military personnel in green uniforms and carrying firearms walk past.
The injured were taken to at least five hospitals, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency department.
A couple told CBS News that they heard crashing noises coming from the street and then saw a white truck barreling through a barricade “at a high rate of speed.”
Zion Parsons (NYSE:), 18, told NOLA.com that he and his two friends were leaving a Bourbon Street bar when they heard a commotion and saw a white car speeding toward them.
He said he swerved to avoid the vehicle, but one of his friends was struck, leaving her leg “twisted and twisted over and around her back.”
“You can just look and see bodies, just bodies of people, just bleeding, broken bones,” he said.
Louisiana U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy said on CNN that law enforcement in New Orleans was prepared for the Sugar Bowl despite Wednesday night’s attack.
In response to vehicular attacks on pedestrian malls around the world, New Orleans was in the process of removing and replacing the steel barriers known as bollards that restrict vehicular traffic on the Bourbon Street pedestrian mall. The status of the project was unclear at the time of Wednesday’s attack.
According to a city website, construction began in November 2024 and was expected to continue through February 2025.
Last month in Germany, a 50-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after police said he drove a car through crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring scores.
President Joe Biden called on the city’s mayor to offer him full federal support. President-elect Donald Trump said his new administration will help New Orleans investigate and recover from what he called an act of pure evil.
