The FBI is reporting the man who drove into a crowd in the French Quarter in New Orleans acted alone in an act of terrorism.
They said they found video of 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar from Texas placing explosive devices. He posted videos publicly declaring his support for ISIS before the attack. Authorities are still searching for an exact motive.
It’s currently unclear why Bourbon Street in particular was targeted in the attack.
The Sugar Bowl is set to continue today at 3 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY:
At least 15 people are dead (including the driver) and at least 35 are injured after a pickup truck plowed through a crowd in New Orleans’s French Quarter early New Year’s Day.
The subject rammed into a crowd of people just after 3 a.m. on the first day of the year, and upon exiting he fired at law enforcement. He was killed in a police shootout at the scene.
The subject was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas and Army veteran, according to the FBI. He was driving a rented Ford pickup truck and was in possession of an Islamist state group (ISIS) flag.
He also had more weapons and a potential IED bomb wired for remote detonation in the vehicle, and more potential bombs were found scattered around the French Quarter.
The mayor of New Orleans called the killing a “terrorist attack,” and the FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent” to create carnage and to “run over as many people as he could.”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry issued a state of emergency, but officials have repeatedly assured residents and visitors should still feel safe in New Orleans as authorities hunt down more information and any possible accomplices.
The barrier system intended to prevent vehicular attacks was being repaired at the time, so Jabbar had to drive around a police vehicle stationed to protect the crowd.
The Sugar Bowl playoff game between Georgia and Notre Dame in New Orleans was also postponed to Thursday.
The FBI has said they are conducting investigations related to the New Orleans attack in Houston, Texas.
Law enforcement is also reviewing a series of recordings the attacker made as he drove from Texas to Louisiana.
The attacker talks about the divorce he is going through and expresses interest in killing his family. He also talks about joining ISIS, referencing several dreams he had, according to officials.
Jabbar was an HR/IT specialist for the U.S. Army. He also briefly served in the Navy. He was deployed to Afghanistan with the Army from February 2009 to January 2010.
Photo from the Associated Press.
