New Orleans attack updates

[Anthea]

Deadly New Orleans attack

Police said the driver sped through a crowd along Bourbon Street around 3.15am on Wednesday

15 dead, 35 injured after car ploughs into crowd in New Orleans

Authorities say the driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered on New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year's Day.

Ten people were killed and and more than 30 injured. Two police officers were also injured in a shootout with the suspect, who authorities said died after that firefight.

The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties.

Crowds also gathered in the city in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game later on Wednesday at the nearby Superdome.

Here’s what we know about the attack:

Police said the driver sped through a crowd along Bourbon Street around 3.15am on Wednesday as revellers gathered to celebrate the start of the New Year.

Ten people were killed and more than 30 others were injured and taken to five local hospitals. Two police officers were also wounded in a shootout with the suspect.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did” and he tried "to run over as many people as he could.”

Kirkpatrick said two police officers were shot after the driver emerged from the truck and are in stable condition.

FBI said the suspect is dead after a firefight with police. New Orleans police said that after the vehicle came to a stop, the suspect reportedly opened fire on responding officers, who returned fire.
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The suspect was struck and subsequently declared dead at the scene. Further information on the suspect was not immediately released.

Authorities said Bourbon Street was filled with revellers toasting the start of 2025 and attending New Year’s Eve parties when the attack occurred.

Crowds in New Orleans have been ballooning in anticipation of Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl college football playoff game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame. Officials said that game would go on as scheduled.

City documents show New Orleans has been in the midst of a major project to remove and replace post-like barriers called bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street.

That project began in November and involves replacing old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards.

Wednesday's attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon around the world to carry out mass violence.

The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against. Last month, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.

https://www.sundayworld.com/crime/world ... 20728.html

[Anthea]

Hidden object spotted on the back of EV

The electric vehicle used by the New Orleans terrorist to plow into a crowd of revelers celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street has sparked a mystery after a hidden object was spotted on the back of the SUV

Ten people were killed and 35 others injured after the white Ford SUV, driven by Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove into pedestrians ringing in 2025 in New Orleans' French Quarter Wednesday around 3.15am local time, NOLA.com reported.

Following the horrific tragedy, an image of what appears to be a flagpole on the back of Jabbar's truck circulated online, sparking mass speculation.

Photos taken after the collision show what appears to be a metallic gray jacket wrapped around a flagpole, but a video shot earlier in the morning showed what appears to be a black flag dangling from the same 'pole'.

It is unclear if it was placed there before or after the heinous attack.

The truck used to kill 10 in the massacre came into the US from Mexico through Eagle Pass, Texas, over a month ago, Fox News reported. It was earlier misreported as two days ago by the outlet.

The vehicle was rented from Turo - a car sharing app. Another 42-year-old man who listed it lives in Houston and 'has already been contacted by federal investigators,' ABC 13 reported.

The FBI has formally confirmed they are investigating the tragedy 'as an act of terrorism' after New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said she had spoken to the White House about what she described as a 'terrorist attack'.

Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser told WDBU officials are probing if the attack was connected to ISIS and if the flag displayed on the back of the truck was connected to the group.

After Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, plowed into a crowd of people around 3.50am Wednesday, a picture circulated online of what appeared to be a flag pole with a gray object resembling a coat wrapped around it

The object, believed to be a puffer jacket, was seen draped over the 'pole'

Horrific videos show aftermath of New Orleans truck 'attack'

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with officers after he exited his vehicle and started shooting, injuring two NOLA police officers who are in stable condition.

Authorities investigating the 'mass casualty incident' say the driver showed 'very intentional behavior' after driving into crowds before he got out and fired a weapon.

Officials said an improvised explosive device was found in the area. Around 8.30am a 'small explosion' went off in the quarter. It was detonated by the bomb squad, WLWT's Steven Albritton reported.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the suspect was 'hellbent on creating carnage.' No information about his identity has been released. Federal agents will now lead the investigation into the attack.

Witnesses claim Jabbar was 'wearing full body armor' and 'armed with an assault rifle', and officials said he was 'trying to run over as many people as he possibly could'.

President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday morning stating that 'The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans.'

'When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,' he wrote.

'The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.

'The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!'

President Joe Biden also shared a statement, saying that he has told his team 'to ensure every resource is available' to New Orleans, and that 'there is no justification for violence of any kind.'

Ten people have been killed and 35 others injured after the white Ford SUV drove into pedestrians ringing in 2025 in New Orleans' French Quarter

Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser told WDBU officials are probing if the attack was connected to ISIA and if the flag displayed on the back of the truck was connected to the group

New Year's Eve tragedy in NOLA after truck drives into crowd

'I have been continually briefed since early this morning by federal law enforcement leadership and my homeland security team, including Secretary of Homeland Security Ali Mayorkas, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, and the Mayor of New Orleans regarding the horrific incident that occurred there overnight.

'The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation and is investigating this incident as an act of terrorism. I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury.

'I have directed my team 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.

'I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday.

'There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities,' Biden said.

Videos circulating on social media showed a chaotic scene at the tourist hotspot as people ran from the casualty-strewn area while bullets rang out in the background.

Videos circulating on social media that appear to have been recorded at the scene shows multiple casualties on the ground as shots ring out in the background. People were also seen running from the area

Gunshots heard after truck rams through crowd in New Orleans

Dozens of police officers have responded to what authorities have declared a 'mass casualty event' and a portion of the road has been cordoned off. Paramedics, ambulances and vehicles from the coroner's office were also seen at the scene.

Ambulances have transported the wounded to five area hospitals, the city added, and the FBI have taken over the ongoing investigation.

A man, who claimed to witness the incident while out with his wife, wrote on X that he saw the SUV 'speeding' down the road and 'running people over'.

Another alleged witness told WLWT that she saw the vehicle strike the crowd and multiple officers open fire at the suspect. She says she started running and only escaped 'by the grace of god'.

Kevin Garcia, 22, said the car was 'slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk'. He heard gunshots ring out and claims a 'body came flying at me', CNN reported.

Whit Davis, a 22-year-old witness from Shreveport, Louisiana, said he was in a nightclub when the attack unfolded. He recalled how people 'started running and hiding under tables' in a scene that resembled 'an active shooter drill'.

New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said she had spoken to the White House about what she described as a 'terrorist attack'

Police then held him and a group of partygoers in the bar, Davis told BBC, noting that when they were finally allowed to leave the establishment that they 'were walking past dead and injured bodies all over the street'.

At a press conference, New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell described the incident as a 'terrorist attack.' At first, the FBI said that it was not linked to terrorism - before later confirming that the mass fatality indeed is being investigated as such.

Bourbon Street, famous for its many bars and clubs, has reportedly been shut down while investigators work the scene. People are advised to stay away from the area.

'The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street,' NOLA Ready, the city's official disaster preparedness agency, said in a statement.

Officials said an improvised explosive device was found in the area. Around 8.30am a 'small explosion' went off in the quarter. It was detonated by the bomb squad

Police respond at scene after truck crashes in New Orleans crowd

'There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS (New Orleans Emergency Medical Services) and 10 fatalities. Public safety partners are responding on scene. Updates will follow as they are received.'

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 quarter final held in the city's Caesars Superdome, with thousands expected to be in attendance.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has condemned the 'horrific' attack and said he is 'praying for all the victims and first responders on scene'.

'A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,' Landry tweeted. 'Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... t-car.html

[Anthea]

FBI says US citizen behind attack

According to the FBI, the perpetrator had an ISIS flag in the vehicle

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the perpetrator of the New Orleans car-ramming incident as a US citizen on Wednesday, with emblems associated with ISIS discovered in his vehicle.

"The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas," the law enforcement agency stated.

The Ford pickup vehicle he used is thought to have been rented and authorities discovered guns and a probable improvised explosive device inside, according to the statement.

The FBI reported that an "ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations."

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, when the driver crashed his vehicle into a gathering of people celebrating New Year's on New Orleans' Bourbon Street and began firing at them before being neutralized by police.

The New Orleans Police Department said that 10 individuals were murdered and 35 others were injured in the incident, including two policemen.

The FBI is investigating the incident as a terrorist act, according to departing US President Joe Biden, who also directed his staff to mobilize all federal, state, and local law enforcement resources.

President-elect Donald Trump attributed the incident to illegal migration, alleging that the US crime rate is now greater than ever.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ans-attack

[Anthea]

Two improvised explosives found

Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) assistant special agent Alethea Duncan says "this is an ongoing investigation that's rapidly evolving."

She then goes over the details we have been reporting from a newly released statement from the FBI.

Officials have found, "as of now", two improvised explosive devices in the area, she says.

Duncan asks for anyone with information or who may have interacted with the suspected driver of the vehicle, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, recently to contact the FBI.

She then says law enforcement does not believe that the suspect was solely responsible for the attack.

[Anthea]

Police don't believe any others involved

Authorities no longer believe there are any other suspects involved in the New Year's truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans that killed 14 people and injured 35 others, the FBI said Thursday

After investigators reviewed all of the surveillance videos more closely, it appears that the suspect -- 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who also died in the attack -- placed explosive devices in the area himself and then changed clothes, multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The FBI is still investigating whether there were individuals Jabbar spoke to or messaged with prior to the early Wednesday attack, but no one was in the vicinity to help him do anything, the sources said.

There is no additional threat to the public, Christopher Raia of the FBI said.

Law enforcement members work at the site where people were killed by a man driving a truck in an attack during New Year's celebrations, in New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2, 2025.

Raia called the attack a premeditated "act of terrorism."

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday compared the investigation to a jigsaw puzzle.

Over 400 tips have been submitted and investigators are combing through Jabbar's laptops and phones, Raia said. More than 1,000 law enforcement officers have been "pouring over countless amounts of data, of videos, of surveillances, interviews, tracking down every possible lead," Landry said

Law enforcement vehicles and people stand near the area near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd during New Year's celebrations, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Jan. 1, 2025.

Jabbar drove from Houston to New Orleans on Tuesday evening and posted several videos online "proclaiming his support for ISIS," and mentioning he joined ISIS before this summer, Raia said.

"There were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account, which are time stamped beginning at 1:29 a.m. and the last at 3:02 a.m.," Raia said. "In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the 'war between the believers and the disbelievers.'"

An ISIS flag was recovered from the back of the truck, Raia said.

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work the scene on Bourbon Street after a person allegedly drove into the crowd in the early morning hours of New Year's Day on January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The death toll is not expected to rise beyond 14 people, Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans told ABC News Live on Thursday. Sixteen people remain hospitalized at University Medical Center New Orleans, including eight in intensive care.

Jabbar was "hell-bent" on killing as many people as possible, driving a pickup truck onto the sidewalk around a parked police car serving as a barricade to plow into pedestrians, officials said.

The suspect mowed down dozens of people over a three-block stretch on the world-famous thoroughfare while firing into the crowd, police said.

Jabbar then exited the damaged vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement said. He was also armed with a handgun, sources told ABC News.

Officers returned fire, killing Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas, sources said. At least two officers were injured, one by gunfire and the other when the officer was pinned by the truck, authorities said.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said security bollards were not working at the time because they were in the process of being replaced for next month's Super Bowl.

Investigators work the scene after a person drove a vehicle into a crowd killing several, earlier on Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Jan. 1, 2025.

Surveillance footage showed Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices in coolers in the Bourbon Street area, Raia said.

"Those are the only two devices that we've been able to recover that were functional -- both devices were rendered safe on scene," he said.

Authorities have conducted search warrants in New Orleans and outside of Louisiana, the FBI's New Orleans field office said.

A home in Houston was among those searched. The FBI in Houston said "there is no threat to residents in that area."

Raia urged anyone who knew Jabbar to come forward.

"While we have interviewed many people who know Jabbar, we still need to talk to others," he said. "Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you."

He said police also want to speak with witnesses who were in the French Quarter on New Year's Eve or early on New Year's Day.

The FBI has cleared Bourbon Street and authorities have the "confidence" to reopen it to the public ahead of the Sugar Bowl Thursday afternoon, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Thursday.

The game was initially set for Wednesday and was postponed in the wake of the attack.

"I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today, but we're ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city," she said.

"Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to the victims' families," she added.

Members of the FBI and New Orleans Police work the scene on Bourbon Street after a person allegedly drove into a crowd in the early morning hours of New Year's Day on January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

There's no apparent direct connection between the New Orleans attack and Wednesday's Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, which is being investigated as a possible act of terror, Raia from the FBI said Thursday.

The driver was killed and seven bystanders suffered minor injuries, authorities said. The motive behind the incident remains under investigation, but investigators told ABC News they believe it was "intentional."

The Cybertruck was rented via the Turo app, as was the truck used in the New Orleans attack, sources told ABC News.

The Cybertruck driver had an Army special operations background but there's no evidence suggesting he and the New Orleans suspect knew each other, according to an official briefed on the probe.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/new-orleans-a ... =117262459