A 42-year-old Texas man rammed a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day in New Orleans’ French Quarter and then opened fire on police, killing 15 people and wounding 30, in a pre-dawn attack that the FBI said be a possible act of terrorism.
The suspect, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, died at the scene during the shootout with police, authorities said. Jabbar served in the US Army.
The incident occurred at 3:15 a.m. (local time) near the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets, a historic tourist destination in the city’s French Quarter known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.
An Islamic State flag was found in the vehicle, prompting an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations, the FBI said in a statement. The FBI said the vehicle appeared to have been rented.
“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively investigating all leads, including those of his known associates,” said Alethea Duncan, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, at a press conference.
Asked how many possible accomplices the FBI was investigating, she said it was a “number of suspects” and asked that anyone who had contact with Jabbar in the last 72 hours contact authorities.
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Investigators found weapons and a possible explosive device in the vehicle, and other possible explosive devices were found in the French Quarter, the FBI said. Two explosive devices were secured, Duncan said.
She confirmed the death toll of 10, after a lawmaker said the number could have increased.
Authorities postponed the Sugar Bowl, a classic college football game played in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, for 24 hours, according to event organizers. The city will also be the site of the NFL Super Bowl on February 9.
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A city leader described the attacker as wearing full military gear.
“This is not just an act of terrorism, this is evil,” Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said at a previous news conference.
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Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, shot and injured two police officers after the vehicle crashed. The officers were in stable condition, she added.
“As we search for a reason, remember that there is no way to make sense of evil.”
About 400 officers were on duty in the French Quarter at the time of the incident, police said.
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“This is a fluid situation and we are coordinating with multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure a complete and thorough investigation to bring to justice those who may have participated in this incident,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on X.
“Horrible act”
A verified video taken by a participant in the celebrations shows at least two bodies twisted in the street, with one of them lying in what appears to be a pool of blood. Another participant is seen kneeling next to one of the bodies while a group of soldiers wearing green uniforms and carrying firearms run past.
The injured were taken to at least five different hospitals, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency department.
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A couple told CBS News they heard crashing noises coming from the end of the street and then saw a white pickup truck drive through a barricade “at a high rate of speed.”
Zion Parsons, 18, told NOLA.com that he and his two friends were leaving a restaurant on Bourbon Street when they heard a commotion and saw a white vehicle heading toward them.
He said he dodged the vehicle, but one of his friends was hit, with his leg “twisted and contorted around his back.”
“You can look and see bodies, just bodies of people, bleeding, broken bones,” he said.
In response to vehicle attacks on open markets around the world, New Orleans was in the process of removing and replacing steel barriers restricting vehicle traffic in the Bourbon Street pedestrian zone. The status of the project was unclear at the time of Wednesday’s attack.
Construction began in November 2024 and was scheduled to continue until February 2025, according to a city website.
Last month in Germany, a 50-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder after police said he rammed a car into crowds at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring dozens.
US President Joe Biden called the city’s mayor to offer full federal support. President-elect Donald Trump said his new administration would help New Orleans as it investigates and recovers from what he called an act of pure evil.
