At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded after a man, identified by the FBI as a United States military veteran, ploughed a pick-up truck into a crowd of New Year’s revellers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, US.
The suspect, who was killed in a police shootout, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas who served in the military in Afghanistan.
The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of “terrorism” and initially said it did not believe the driver had acted alone in the attack on one of the country’s top tourist destinations. However, it later changed this stance, when Christopher Raia, FBI assistant director, said it had ruled out other suspects after reviewing CCTV footage from the city’s French Quarter.
On Thursday, police also said they were investigating a possible link between this incident and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck on Wednesday outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, which killed one person and injured several others.
The suspect in that case is now believed to have been an active-duty soldier, named Matthew Livelsberger – a highly decorated Green Beret who had served in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan among other postings.
Here’s what we know about the incident in New Orleans, the suspect, and the latest on the ground.
What happened in New Orleans and when?
- At about 3:15am (09:15 GMT) on Wednesday, a rented Ford F-150 pick-up truck drove at high speed into a crowd of New Year’s revellers in New Orleans, according to local police.
- New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver swerved around barricades and was driving at “very high speed” and in a “very intentional” manner.
- “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” Kirkpatrick told reporters. “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” she added.
- After the car stopped, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and fired at responding officers, who shot back and killed him.
- The FBI said they found an explosive device at the site, but are working to confirm if it is viable or not.
- Jabbar appears to have rented the F-150 Lightning electric truck from the car rental website Turo, according to broadcaster CNN.
- Authorities found that the same rental website was linked to an incident on Wednesday in Las Vegas, where a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a Trump hotel. It’s not clear if the two incidents are related.
Who is the suspect?
The FBI identified the suspect as 42-year-old Jabbar, who served in the US military between 2007 and 2020. He also deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
He graduated from Georgia State University in 2017 earning a degree in computer information systems.
The FBI said an ISIL (ISIS) flag was found in the vehicle used in the attack. The bureau is trying to determine if Jabbar was associated with any “terrorist” organisations.
New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno said the suspect was dressed in full military gear and police had described his acts as intentional.
Court records show Jabbar faced a deteriorating financial situation in 2022 while separating from his then-wife. Jabbar said he was $27,000 behind on house payments, accumulated $16,000 in credit card debt and wanted to quickly finalise the divorce.
“I have exhausted all means of bringing the loan current other than a loan modification, leaving us no alternative but to sell the house or allow it to go into foreclosure,” he wrote in a January 2022 email to his now-ex-wife’s lawyer.
He also worked with consulting firm Deloitte earning about $10,000 a month. In a statement, Deloitte said Jabbar had “served in a staff-level role” since being hired in 2021 and that the company was doing all it could to assist authorities.
“There’s a number of red flags when you look at this [attack], including the attacker’s age – not really the kind of prototype for an individual to be radicalised. The fact that he was in the US military, so I think it bears caution for sure,” said Colin Clarke from Soufan Center, a foreign policy and global security think tank based in New York.
“And frankly, authorities have not been good with communications. There have been a number of false leaks. Earlier today was revealed that there were more people involved, and then authorities rolled that back,” he told Al Jazeera from Pennsylvania.
Where did the incident happen?
The incident took place in New Orleans, a city in the southwestern Louisiana state. It lies on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico.
The vehicle travelled along Canal Street into Bourbon Street, the heart of the city’s famous French Quarter, a district renowned for its bars, restaurants and jazz history.
Bourbon Street is known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. New Orleans is a top tourist destination, attracting more than 40 million people last year.
The city also hosted crowds anticipating the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game later on Wednesday at the nearby Superdome. The game was postponed for 24 hours following the attack.
However, the city has faced past incidents, including shootings and vehicle collisions with crowds, such as two shootings in November 2024 that left two dead and 10 injured during a parade.
How many people were killed?
At least 15 people have been killed and 35 injured in this attack, according to police reports.
Among the wounded are two police officers, who were hurt by the driver’s gunfire.
Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw the truck “barrelling through, throwing people like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air”.
“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering,” Parsons, whose friend Nikyra Dedeaux was killed, told the AP.
Among the dead is Princeton University football athlete Martin “Tiger” Bech.
“He was a ‘Tiger’ in every way – a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend. Our last conversation was about how proud I was of the growth he showed during his time at Princeton and the success he was having after graduation. My love goes to the entire Bech family,” Head Coach of Football Bob Surace said, according to the Princeton Football website.
Was the New Orleans incident a ‘terror attack’?
The FBI said on Wednesday that it is working with its partners “to investigate this as an act of terrorism”.
“The FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations,” Alethea Duncan, the assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans FBI, told reporters.
“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” Duncan said. “We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.”
However, it has not specified what evidence is being used to make that legal determination, and information about a possible motive has not been released.
US President Joe Biden said the FBI had informed him that the suspect had posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group, expressing “a desire to kill”.
What is the latest on the ground?
The FBI is leading investigations and Bourbon Street is cordoned off.
Local authorities have set up a rallying point at the University Medical Center for families checking on loved ones.
Despite the incident, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy stated that New Orleans law enforcement is prepared for Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl, with the Superdome now under lockdown to ensure safety.
US President Joe Biden assured Mayor Cantrell of full federal support following the attack, with the White House confirming the president will receive ongoing updates.
US President-elect Donald Trump also offered condolences, calling the attack an “act of pure evil”.
