On Thursday, Pope Francis offered his condolences to the archbishop of New Orleans, USA, in connection with the terrorist attack that killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more on Wednesday. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
“Pope Francis was deeply saddened by the news of the loss of life and injuries caused by the attack,” said Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin in a note addressed to New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond. He added that the pope prays for the healing of the wounded and comfort for the bereaved.
A gunman drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people Wednesday night during New Year’s celebrations in downtown New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. He then died in a shootout with the police.
The American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the perpetrator as 42-year-old war veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar from the state of Texas. In his rented vehicle, they found weapons, an explosive device and the flag of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. Investigators consider the attack to be a “terrorist act” and, according to them, the perpetrator probably did not act alone.
The attack has since been condemned by foreign leaders, who at the same time expressed their condolences to the survivors. Among them were French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Head of EU Diplomacy Kaja Kallas, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General António Guterres.
