At least ten people have died and another 30 have been injured this Wednesday morning in an intentional accident investigated as a “terrorist act” on a busy street in the city of New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana, according to US authorities. The attacker was carrying an Islamic State flag.
The suspect, who later died, rammed a truck around 3:15 a.m. into the crowd gathered to celebrate the New Year on Bourbon and Canal streets, located in a tourist area full of bars and restaurants in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He then got out of the vehicle and began shooting with a firearm.
“There are 30 injured patients who have been transported by NOEMS (New Orleans Emergency Medical Services) and 10 fatalities” to five hospitals in different parts of the city, the administration responsible for disasters in the city has indicated in a brief statement. . Among the injured are two police officers.
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), responsible for the investigation, has confirmed that it has opened an investigation for a “terrorist” attack and that the person responsible would be Shamsud Din Jabbar, originally from Texas, who was carrying a flag of the state jihadist group. Islamic at the time of the incident.
In addition, the FBI has reported that several possible explosive devices have been found in the French Quarter itself, although far from the scene of the accident. FBI bomb bombers are working to determine if any of these devices are dangerous.
As for Din Jabbar, they are investigating “to determine the suspect’s possible relationships and affiliation with terrorist organizations,” according to CNN.
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick explained that the man, who was driving a van at high speed, had “intentional behaviour”. “I was trying to run over as many people as possible,” he said, as reported by CNN.
Likewise, he highlighted that the man shot two New Orleans Police officers who are in stable condition. Kirkpatrick has reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating whether there are any explosive devices inside the vehicle.
“The subject then contacted local authorities and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in a statement.
Violence “against one of our communities”
The White House has reported that President Joe Biden has been informed about the “terrible” attack and subsequent shooting. “There is no justification for violence of any kind and we will not tolerate any attack against any of our nation’s communities,” Biden warned in a presidential statement.
Biden has ordered “to dedicate all available law enforcement resources at the federal, state and local levels to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and ensure that there is no threat of any kind in effect.” He also thanked the emergency services for their response.
Federal officials such as the Secretary of Homeland Security, Ali Mayorkas; Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and White House National Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall are in contact with New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell to offer support to local authorities, according to Washington.
The governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, has classified the attack as a “horrible act of violence” on social media. “I urge all people who are near the scene of the events to avoid the area,” he indicated, transferring his prayers to the victims’ families.
Meanwhile, the president-elect, Donald Trump, has taken the opportunity to highlight that “the criminals who come (from abroad) are much worse than the criminals we have in our country”, he has recalled the “innocent victims” of the attack, including the ” brave officers” of the New Orleans Police injured and has promised that “the Trump Administration will fully support the city of New Orleans in the investigation and recovery after this act of pure evil.”
