New Orleans News On The Latest Attack: At least 15 people were killed and scores more were injured when a man purposely crashed a pickup truck into a gathering of partygoers on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans early on New Year’s Day, according to authorities.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans shooting is being looked at as a terrorist crime, and a black ISIS flag was flying from the truck’s rear bumper.
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What happened during the attack?
On New Year’s Day, around 03:15 local time, a Ford pickup truck crashed into a group of people gathered on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
A white Ford F-150 Lightning automobile is seen on CCTV veering across the pavement to avoid a police cruiser and then colliding with civilians.
The attacker, named as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” according to police, who also called the incident “very intentional.”
Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick of New Orleans stated, “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.” “Two police officers were wounded when Jabbar, who was armed as well, opened fire on them. Then he was shot dead by the cops.
New Orleans attack suspect
The attacker is 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran from Texas, according to the FBI. The FBI claimed it was looking into Jabbar’s possible ties to terrorist organisations after discovering a banner belonging to the Islamic State group in the car he was driving.
Suspected improvised explosive devices were discovered nearby. Additionally found was a long rifle with a “suppressive device” attached that served as a silencer.
President Joe Biden claimed to have been briefed on the incident by the FBI during an evening speech.
“Mere hours before the attack,” according to Biden, the suspect posted videos to social media expressing a “desire to kill” and claiming to have been motivated by the Islamic State.
According to the FBI, they think the suspect had assistance in carrying out his attack, especially in setting up alleged explosive devices.
According to police, at least 35 individuals were hurt and 15 people were dead. No one has been identified in public. The Israeli government reported that two of its citizens were among the injured, while the president of the University of Georgia said that one of its students was seriously damaged.
Authorities respond to a “horrific act of violence”
The government of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described it as “a horrific act of violence” and stated that he and his spouse were “praying for all the victims and first responders on the scene”. He advised people not to go near the area.
“As of now, 15 people are deceased. It will take several days to perform all autopsies. Once we complete the autopsies and talk with the next of kin, we will release the identifications of the victims.”
New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement. The attack occurred during a New Year’s Day celebration in the well-known tourist area.
“As federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,”
Biden said in a statement, directing his administration to “ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.”
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families, who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Biden said. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
In a post on TruthSocial, Donald Trump, the incoming president, also acknowledged the attack.
“Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department,” Trump said.
Postponed Sugar Bowl
Despite the fact that many tourists were in town for New Year’s festivities and the now-postponed Sugar Bowl, which is a part of the American football college playoffs, police said it seemed that the casualties were primarily New Orleans residents.
The Sugar Bowl College football playoff game has been moved to Thursday night instead of later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The Superdome has undergone bomb sweeps, according to Kirkpatrick, and the stadium will be closed down until the game.
The Sugar Bowl’s CEO, Jeff Hundley, made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday. “We will have more information about the rescheduled game in the next few hours,” he stated.
“We live in the fun and games world with what we do, but we certainly recognise the importance of this, and we’re going to support it 100%,” Hundley stated.