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New Orleans terror attack: A US Army veteran driving a pickup truck displaying the Islamic State group's flag caused chaos during New Orleans' lively New Year's celebration, killing 15 people as he manoeuvred around a police blockade and drove into the crowd before being shot and killed by officers.
The FBI said it is investigating the attack early Wednesday as a terrorist act and does not believe the driver acted alone. Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, along with other devices elsewhere in the city’s famed French Quarter, as reported by the Associated Press.
US President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening that the FBI found videos that the driver had posted to social media hours before the attack in which he said he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressed a desire to kill.
Kirkpatrick said that the driver “defeated” safety measures in place to protect pedestrians and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
The FBI has identified the driver as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, and is investigating any possible links he may have to terrorist groups.
“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a news conference, as reported by AP.
Investigators found multiple improvised explosives, including two pipe bombs that were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
Authorities reported that Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk, bypassing a police car stationed to block traffic. A barrier system designed to prevent vehicle attacks was under repair ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl in February.
Also Read: New Orleans Attack: 10 people killed, over 30 injured after high speed truck rams into crowd
Jabbar was shot and killed by police after he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers. In return, three officers fired back, with two of them being wounded but in stable condition.
Investigators found a handgun and an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to an unnamed law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity, as reported by AP.
There were also deadly explosions in Honolulu and outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump. Biden said the FBI is looking into whether the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the New Orleans attack but had “nothing to report” as of Wednesday evening.
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP said he was wearing a ballistic vest and helmet. The flag of the Islamic State group was on the truck's trailer hitch, the FBI said.
“For those people who don’t believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in our city early this morning," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said. "If this doesn’t trigger the gag reflex of every American, every fair-minded American, I’ll be very surprised.”
Jabbar enlisted in the Army in 2007, serving in human resources and information technology roles. He was deployed to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. In 2015, he transferred to the Army Reserve and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.
Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were seen parked at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, surrounded by police tape. Tourists, looking confused and disoriented, gathered around, some attempting to navigate their luggage through the maze of blockades.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry urged the public to avoid the area, which was still an active crime scene.
Also Read: New Year’s Eve tragedy in New Orleans: FBI explores ’terrorism’ link: 10 must-know details
The attack marks the latest instance of a vehicle being used as a weapon in a mass violence act, and it is the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years.
FBI officials have consistently warned about a heightened international terrorism threat due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Over the past year, the agency has prevented other potential attacks, such as in October, when it arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma for an alleged Election Day plot targeting large crowds.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
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