NEW ORLEANS TRUCK ATTACK: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

Thu 02 January 2025:

The death toll in a pickup truck attack in New Orleans, Louisiana has risen to 15, New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said Wednesday.

“It will take several days to perform all autopsies. Once we complete the autopsies and talk with the next of kin, we will release the identifications of the victims,” McKenna said in a statement.

Earlier, 35 other people were also reported injured when the truck plowed through the heart of the French Quarter around 3.15 a.m. (0915GMT) Wednesday. The area is popular with tourists and is a hotspot for celebrations around major holidays, especially New Year’s Eve.

Police said the attacker drove the truck onto a sidewalk and around a police car that was parked to block traffic from entering the area to carry out the attack. About 400 officers were deployed to protect the area.

The FBI has said it does not believe the man who rammed the pickup truck into the New Year’s partygoers, who has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen and Army veteran, acted alone.

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“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates,” Alethea Duncan, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, told reporters at a press briefing.

“We cannot go into details about the subject’s history. What I can tell you is the person was an Army veteran. We believe he was honorably discharged, but we’re working through this process, figuring out all this information,” Duncan added.

Jabbar, from Texas, was previously identified by the bureau as a suspect in the terror attack.

Asked how many accomplices authorities believe Jabbar had, Duncan said “it’s a range of suspects.”

According to a now-removed LinkedIn profile, the 42-year-old had worked in various roles in the US Army, including in human resources and IT, before he was discharged.

He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.

He studied at Georgia State University from 2015 to 2017, graduating with a degree in computer information systems.

Jabbar was married twice. His first marriage ended in 2012 and his second lasted from 2017 to 2022.

He also appears to have worked in real estate, but his licence expired in 2021. He had a criminal record, relating to traffic offences and theft.

According to sources cited by ABC News, New Orleans police have reviewed surveillance footage that appears to show several individuals planting potential explosive devices prior to the vehicle attack.

Authorities are working to identify the individuals seen on camera and bring them into custody.

Meanwhile, steel barricades were not up on Bourbon Street at the time of the incident.

State of emergency

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency to facilitate cooperation between federal, state and local agencies “to bring all of the resources necessary to get this city safe.” He further mobilized a military police company to assist law enforcement.

“It is important for our citizens and guests of the state to know that we’re doing everything we can to secure their safety in this city. We want to make it clear: the Superdome and the surrounding area are safe,” he said.

The Sugar Bowl, an American college football championship game that was to be played at the Superdome on New Year’s Day, has been delayed until Thursday.

Multiple weapons, a Daesh/ISIS terror group flag and a potential improvised explosive device were found inside the truck, according to the FBI.

Two other potential improvised explosive devices were found in the French Quarter and were “rendered safe,” according to Duncan.

FBI launches investigation in Houston after New Orleans truck attack

The FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are carrying out a court-approved search at a property in north Houston, Texas connected to the fatal truck attack in New Orleans, FBI Houston said on X.

The agencies have been stationed near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive for several hours and expect to remain there for several more hours, the statement noted.

It said the FBI has established a perimeter and is urging the public to steer clear of the area, adding that no arrests have been made at this time.

UN chief condemns pickup truck attack

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned a pickup truck attack Wednesday that killed at least 15 people in the city of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack in New Orleans, where a driver struck a crowd gathered to celebrate the New Year, reportedly killing at least 15 people and injuring over 30 others,” said his Associate Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez in a statement.

Guterres “extends his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and to the Government and people of Louisiana and the United States. He also wishes a swift recovery to those persons injured,” said the spokesperson.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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