New Orleans attack latest: FBI says they do not believe suspected terrorist worked alone before killing 10
The suspect, who was shot and killed by the FBI, has been named as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar
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Your support makes all the difference.The suspect who killed at least 10 people and injured dozens of others after ramming a truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans had an ISIS flag in the vehicle, the FBI confirmed.
The suspect, who was shot and killed by the FBI, has been named as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
The incident took place at 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday on the city’s famed Bourbon Street in the first hours of New Year’s Day, as Jabbar allegedly evaded police barriers around the French Quarter and drove into the crowd.
The suspect acted with “very intentional behavior,” police have said. Two officers were struck in a gunfire exchange with the suspect and are now in stable condition.
The FBI is now investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism.” New Orleans police said the driver was trying to “run over as many people as he possibly could.”
Officials do not believe Jabbar acted alone and are investigating potential accomplices.
The car attack prompted officials to delay the upcoming Sugar Bowl college football game for 24 hours.
“There’s just too much stuff we don’t know, and it’s just not worth it,” Senator John Kennedy said on Wednesday of the decision.
WATCH: Officials confirm ten dead and dozens injured after SUV crash
President Joe Biden has been briefed, White House says
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight and the White House has been in touch with New Orleans Mayor Cantrell to offer support,” the White House said in a statement.
“The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day.”
Everything we know about the driver who plowed into crowd killing 10
A New Year’s celebration in New Orleans was tragically interrupted when a car slammed into a crowd of revelers, killing 10 and injuring dozens more.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street when a suspect drove into people, New Orleans police said at a Wednesday morning press conference.
More than 30 others were injured in the attack and have been transported to hospitals. Authorities have urged locals to steer clear of Bourbon Street as an investigation continues.
Here’s everything we know about the tragedy and the driver:
New Orleans mass killing: Everything we know about the driver who plowed into crowd
The incident occurred on Bourbon Street just hours into the new year
Driver ‘dead' after ramming car into crowd killing 10 on Bourbon Street
A federal law enforcement official has told NBC News that the suspected driver who killed at least 10 people and injured dozens of others is believe to be dead.
The police and FBI did not give a status update on the suspect at the press conference this morning, but did say that the perpetrator shot and injured two police officers.
The identity and motives of suspect remain unknown. The FBI has taken over investigation of the violent incident that took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Pictured: scene on Wednesday morning in New Orleans
‘This is not a terrorist event’, say FBI
The FBI has taken over the investigation in New Orleans and said it is not a terrorist attack.
Special agent Althea Duncan said that “improvised explosive devices” were found at the scene and the public should stay away from the area.
She added: “This is not a terrorist event.”
Two officers shot by perpetrator
Two police officers were shot by the attacker and are receiving treatment in hospital, Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick has told a press conference.
She said the attacker fired on officers after he crashed his vehicle. Both officers are both stable and receiving medical treatment.
Superintendent Kirkpatrick said the perpetrator was “hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
New Orleans mayor urges residents to avoid the area
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says the exact details of the incident are under investigation and that she has been in direct contact with the White House.
At a press conference she asked “for prayers for those who have lost their lives”, and urged the public to avoid the eight blocks around Bourbon Street, saying a “unified command is in place”.
Violent incident occurs hours before Sugar Bowl
The incident came toward the end of New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans and hours before the kickoff of the AllState Bowl, a college football quarterfinal held in the city’s Caesars Superdome, with thousands expected to be in attendance.
This year game features the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame.
30 injured in incident sent to 5 hospitals across the area
The 30 people injured when a driver hit a crowd on Bourbon Street have been sent to the following hospitals, according to the city’s disaster preparedness campaign, NOLA Ready:
- University Medical Center
- Touro Hospital
- East Jefferson General Hospital
- Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Campus
- Ochsner Baptist Campus
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