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In a devastating early morning incident, a man in a pickup truck drove directly into a crowd gathered in New Orleans’ French Quarter, resulting in at least 15 fatalities and injuring numerous others. The city’s mayor has labeled the horrifying event a “terrorist attack.”
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick of the New Orleans Police Department emphasized to the media that this was not a case of driving under the influence.
“This was a deliberate act,” Kirkpatrick explained. “The driver was targeting as many victims as he could.”
At approximately 3:15 AM, during the New Year’s celebrations, the driver barreled into the throng on Bourbon Street. He then got out of the truck and started shooting at the police, as per the superintendent’s report. It is reported that he injured two officers during the gunfire.
NOLA.com identified the assailant as Shamsud Din-Jabbar, 42, citing a law enforcement source.
“Officers killed him following the assault,” the publication added. “It was reported that Jabbar had an ISIS flag with him in the vehicle.”
Tom Winter of NBC reported that the FBI is handling the probe as a terrorism case and is looking into whether there was a bomb at the location.
In their statement, the FBI confirmed, “Early today, someone drove a vehicle into a group on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, causing multiple deaths and injuring many.”
“The individual then confronted local police and has been pronounced dead,” the agency continued.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans stated, although the investigation is ongoing, “it is clear that this was a terrorist attack on our city.”
Governor Jeff Landry also addressed the tragedy on social media, saying, “A terrible act of violence occurred on Bourbon Street this morning.”
“Everyone should stay clear of the area,” he advised.
