Handgun, rifle, ISIS flag found in truck bed; Sugar Bowl postponed
An apparent terrorist attack on famed Bourbon Street in New Orleans early New Year’s Day left 15 people dead and more than 30 others injured.
The attack occurred at approximately 3:15 a.m. Wednesday as thousands of people gathered in the French Quarter to celebrate the New Year, according to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). A white pickup truck slammed into a crowd near the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, one of the busiest spots in the city during the annual festivities. After crashing into the crowd, the driver stopped the vehicle and opened fire on police officers as they arrived at the scene.
The responding officers, who were stationed nearby to monitor the New Year’s Eve festivities, returned fire, killing the suspect, police said. The driver has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Houston, Texas. Jabbar was shot dead at the scene. U.S. defense officials said he served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2015, followed by the Army Reserves from 2015 to 2020, according NBC News.
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According to law enforcement sources, Jabbar was driving a Ford pickup which appeared to have been rented. The FBI said the agency is working to determine how Jabbar obtained the vehicle.
Earlier Wednesday, Fox News reported that the truck used in the attack was registered in Texas and had crossed the southern U.S. border just two days before the incident. Two anonymous federal law enforcement sources told the network that the truck entered the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, although it remains unclear whether Jabbar was the one driving the vehicle at the time of the border crossing.
Investigators found an Islamic State (ISIS) flag in the truck’s bed, along with a handgun and an AR-style rifle, sources told The Associated Press.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, told reporters that investigators do not believe Jabbar acted alone, but did not offer any further details.
Speaking live on WWL-TV, New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno noted that the suspect was reportedly dressed in full military gear at the time of the assault. An improvised explosive device (IED) was also found at the scene of the attack, though it is not yet clear whether the device was a viable threat.
Police confirmed that two New Orleans police officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire with Jabbar. Both officers were taken to a nearby hospital and are listed in stable condition.
Authorities confirmed that 10 victims were declared dead at the scene, while five more were declared deceased after receiving medical attention. Another 35 people were injured, many of whom were transported to local hospitals with varying degrees of injury.
President Joe Biden released a statement which read in part: “I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury. I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.
“… My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
Security was beefed up at the Caesar’s Superdome, where the Sugar Bowl was scheduled to be played Wednesday evening. While officials initially signaled the Georgia-Notre Dame matchup would proceed as scheduled, they later announced the playoff game would be postponed.
“The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.”
The attack comes less than a week after a deadly Christmas Day attack in which a 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a crowded Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.
