Posted: Wednesday, January 1, 2025. 10:35 pm CST.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/BBC
By Aaron Humes: 15 people have died following a mass casualty event in New Orleans, city authorities say according to the BBC.
At 3:15 a.m. local time, a man drove a pick-up truck at high speed into a large crowd of people on Bourbon Street in the famous French Quarter of the city and then fired on police from his vehicle.
He has been identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas, Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
The FBI says an Islamic State group flag was found in the vehicle and they are investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism.”
The identities of the victims are still being established, but they include a former Princeton University football star, Martin “Tiger” Bech.
Investigators say they believe the New Orleans suspect was not “solely responsible” for the attack. Law enforcement are also looking at whether the attack is linked to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says the suspect displayed “very intentional behaviour” and he was “trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.” She adds that the individual was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage he did.”
Hours after the attack, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven people. Authorities are also investigating if the attacker in New Orleans had help, particularly in placing suspected explosive devices, which were found in the pick-up truck and elsewhere in the area.
U.S. President Joe Biden has called the attack “despicable” and said he was grieving with the families of the victims, adding that investigators are looking into whether the explosion is linked to what happened in New Orleans, but there is “nothing to report… at this time.”
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