UPDATES: FBI looking into suspect’s motive, possible accomplices

NEW ORLEANS — (AP) — A driver wrought carnage on New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing 15 people as he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd before being shot to death by police, authorities said.

Dozens were injured as Wednesday’s attack turned festive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem. The FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism. An Islamic State group flag was found in the vehicle.

The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, and said it is working to determine Jabbar’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations. Authorities are also looking into whether other people may have been involved.

Jabbar was killed by police after he exited the vehicle and opened fire on officers, police said. Two officers were shot and are in stable condition, police said. There were dozens of people injured in the vehicle attack.

UPDATES:

Jan. 2

6 a.m.:

An aspiring nurse, a football star, a single mother and a father of 2 killed in New Orleans attack

We’re learning more about the 15 people killed in the New Orleans New Year’s Day truck attack. Officials haven’t released their names, but loved ones have started sharing their stories:

An 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star suffered fatal injuries when the driver of a white pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, packed with holiday revelers early Wednesday morning, The AP reports.

New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said in a statement late Wednesday that they will release the names of the dead once autopsies are complete and they’ve talked with the next of kin. About 30 people were injured.

5: 30 a.m.:

US Army veteran who killed 15 in New Orleans attack was inspired by the Islamic State group

The suspect in the New Orleans attack had posted videos to social media hours before the carnage saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing a desire to kill, President Joe Biden said Wednesday.

The FBI told The Associated Press it was investigating the attack, in which the driver steered around a police blockade and slammed into revelers before being shot dead by police, as a terrorist act and did not believe he acted alone.

Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle — which bore the flag of the Islamic State group — along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the city’s famed French Quarter, The AP reports.

Jan. 1

8 p.m.:

Biden: Authorities are investigating whether New Orleans attack is linked to Las Vegas explosion

President Joe Biden said federal agents are investigating whether the truck attack in New Orleans was linked to the explosion of a Telsa Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.

“There’s nothing to report on that score at this time,” Biden said.

The Tesla Cybertruck appeared to be carrying fireworks when it caught fire and exploded Wednesday. One person died and seven others were injured.

7:30 p.m.:

Biden says attacker posted video indicating he was inspired by the Islamic State group

President Joe Biden said the New Orleans attacker had posted video on social media indicating he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Biden said the man had expressed a “desire to kill.”

He said the investigation remained fluid.

The president said: “I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you.”

Divorce records reveal some information about the New Orleans attacker’s finances

Divorce records show that in January 2022, Shamsud-Din Jabbar was $27,000 behind on house payments. He wanted to quickly finalize 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 an email to his now-ex-wife’s attorney.

His businesses were struggling, too. One, Blue Meadow Properties LLC, lost about $28,000 over the previous year. Two others he started, Jabbar Real Estate Holdings LLC and BDQ L3C, weren’t worth anything.

The divorce was approved in September 2024.

6:15 p.m.:

Death toll now stands at 15

The New Orleans coroner now says 15 people were killed when a driver deliberately struck people in the French Quarter early on New Year’s Day.

Authorities previously said 10 had died. The driver was fatally shot by police.

The coroner, Dr. Dwight McKenna, says it will take several days to conduct autopsies. Once those are done and relatives are notified, officials will release the victims’ names, McKenna said in a statement.

6 p.m.:

FBI has been warning about an elevated terrorism threat

If confirmed as inspired by the Islamic State, the attack would represent the deadliest such assault on U.S. soil in years. The militant group’s flag was on the trailer hitch of the truck involved in the New Orleans attack, according to the FBI.

FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat due to the Israel-Hamas war.

In the last year, the FBI has disrupted other potential attacks inspired by the militant group, including in October when agents arrested an Afghan man in Oklahoma accused of plotting an Election Day attack targeting large crowds.

Driver in New Orleans attack had served in the US Army

The driver in the attack in New Orleans previously served in the Army.

A U.S. official said Shamsud-Din Jabbar got out of the Army in 2015 but it was not clear if he went into the Reserve after that. He served as an information technology specialist, the official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not yet been made public.

5:30 p.m.:

Sugar Bowl now scheduled for Thursday afternoon

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame will now start at 3 p.m. CST Thursday.

It was originally set for Wednesday night in New Orleans. But officials said they would postpone it following the truck attack in the city’s French Quarter.

4:45 p.m.:

A Baton Rouge father was killed in the New Orleans attack

A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 10 people killed.

Reggie Hunter had just left work and was headed with a cousin to celebrate New Year’s when the attack happened, his first cousin Shirell Jackson told Nola.com.

Hunter was killed and his cousin was injured, Jackson said.

Officials have not yet released the names of the victims, but their families and friends are talking about them.

4 p.m.

Road closed leading to suspect’s recent address

Law enforcement officers have closed off a road leading to a Houston residence that records indicate was a recent address of the suspect in the New Orleans attack.

The white mobile home was behind a gate and in a small neighborhood where goats and ducks were roaming the grass.

3:45 p.m.

18-year-old who wanted to be a nurse is among the victims in New Orleans, friend says

A Mississippi man who was celebrating New Year’s Eve in New Orleans says his friend who dreamed of becoming a nurse was among the people killed in an attack on Bourbon Street.

Zion Parsons, 18, said a vehicle suddenly appeared and he watched it hit his friend, 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux. At least 10 people were killed.

Parsons described the crowd scattering and the gruesome aftermath.

“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, everybody screaming and hollering” Parsons said.

He said he watched as authorities put a tarp over Dedeaux’s body. He later called Dedeaux’s family to tell them what had happened.

“I hadn’t had time to cry up until I called her mother and she asked me, ‘Where’s my baby’,” Parsons said. “That broke me.”

Officials insist people should feel safe in New Orleans even as they seek additional suspects

Officials say residents and visitors should feel safe in New Orleans even as they have repeatedly acknowledged that they are aggressively seeking additional possible suspects in the attack.

During a news conference, Gov. Jeff Landry bristled at a question about how officials were confident that Jabbar did not act alone, saying, “Why would we tell you?”

But a Louisiana State Police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press and circulated among law enforcement contained a possible clue. The document said surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.

3 p.m.:

Truck used in attack was rented using Turo app, company says

The pickup truck used in the attack was rented via Turo, an app that connects drivers, known as “guests,” with vehicle owners, known as “hosts,” according to Steve Webb, the company’s vice president of communications.

“We are heartbroken to learn that one of our host’s vehicles was involved in this awful incident,” Webb said in an email. “We are actively partnering with the FBI. We are not currently aware of anything in this guest’s background that would have identified him as a trust and safety threat to us at the time of the reservation.”

Investigators have reviewed video of people placing an explosive device, document shows

Investigators have reviewed video showing three men and a woman placing an improvised explosive device in connection with the car attack that killed at least 10 people in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

That’s according to a Louisiana State Police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.

The revelation could help explain why officials at a Wednesday news conference said that they were aggressively hunting for additional suspects and did not believe the driver of the pickup truck, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, acted alone.

New Orleans attacker drove around police car and onto sidewalk, authorities say

Authorities say that the driver of the truck that rammed into the crowd in New Orleans drove onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic and protect Bourbon Street revelers.

A barrier system designed to prevent vehicle attacks was undergoing repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is being played in the city in February.

2:15 p.m.:

FBI believes New Orleans attacker may have had help

The FBI says it does not believe that the Texas man who killed at least 10 people in a suspected New Orleans terror attack acted alone.

Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said at a news conference that officials are actively seeking any possible associates of the man, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

2:25 p.m.:

Sugar Bowl postponed after New Orleans attack

The Sugar Bowl has been postponed for 24 hours after an attack during New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans left 10 people dead and at least 35 injured.

AllState Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame will be held Thursday. It had been scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Hundley says the decision was made in the interest of public safety.

New Orleans describes killings as a ‘terrorist attack’

A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The attack happened around 3:15 a.m. in an area teeming with New Year’s revelers.

Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The FBI said a potential improvised explosive device was located in the vehicle and other potential explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the killings as a “terrorist attack.”

The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed until Thursday night.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”

“It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” Kirkpatrick said.

New Orleans city councilmember Helena Moreno told WWL-TV that after being briefed on the attack, she understands that “there is a potential that other suspects could be involved in this and all hands on deck on determining who these individuals are and finding them.”

The area is a prime New Year’s Eve destination, and tens of thousands of college football fans were in the city for Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame at the nearby Superdome.

“When I got to work this morning, it was kind of pandemonium everywhere,” Derick Fleming, chief bellhop at a downtown hotel, told The Associated Press. “There were a couple of bodies on the ground covered up. Police were looking for bombs in garbage cans.”

University of Georgia President Jere Morehead said a student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment.

Zion Parsons told NOLA.com that he and two friends were leaving a Bourbon Street restaurant when he heard a “commotion” and “banging” and turned his head to see a vehicle barreling onto the pavement toward them. He dodged the vehicle, but it struck one of his friends.

“I yell her name, and I turn my head, and her leg is twisted and contorted above and around her back. And there was just blood,” Parsons said. The 18-year-old said he ran after hearing gunshots shortly thereafter.

“As you’re walking down the street, you can just look and see bodies, just bodies of people, just bleeding, broken bones,” he said. “I just ran until I couldn’t hear nothing no more.”

Bourbon Street has had barriers to prevent vehicle attacks since 2017, but Wednesday’s rampage happened amid a major project to remove and replace the devices, which left the area vulnerable. Work began in November and was expected to be largely wrapped up in time for the Super Bowl in the city in February.

Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked on the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off by police tape with crowds of dazed tourists standing around, some trying to navigate their luggage through the labyrinth of blockades.

“We looked out our front door and saw caution tape and dead silence and it’s eerie,” said Tessa Cundiff, an Indiana native who moved to the French Quarter a few years ago. “This is not what we fell in love with, it’s sad.”

Elsewhere, life went on as normal in the city known to some for a motto that translates to “let the good times roll.”

Close to where the truck came to rest, some people were talking about the attack while others dressed in Georgia gear talked football. At a cafe a block away, people crowded in for breakfast as upbeat pop music played. Two blocks away, people drank at a bar, seemingly as if nothing happened.

“We recognize that there are tourists around us, and we urge all to avoid the French Quarter as this is an active investigation,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said. “We understand the concerns of the community and want to reassure everyone that the safety of the French Quarter and the city of New Orleans remains our top priority.”

President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters in Delaware, said he felt “anger and frustration” over the attack but would refrain from further comment until more is known.

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Biden said in a statement. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”

The attack is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon to carry out mass violence, a trend that has alarmed law enforcement officials and that can be difficult to protect against.

A 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg last month, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.

A man who drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee in 2021 is serving a life sentence after a judge rejected arguments from him and his family that mental illness drove him to do it. Six people were killed.

An Islamic extremist was sentenced last year to 10 life sentences for killing eight people with a truck on a bike path in Manhattan on Halloween in 2017. Also in 2017, a self-proclaimed admirer of Adolf Hitler slammed his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and is now serving a life sentence.

__

The Associated Press and ABC News contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Check wsoctv.com for updates.

(VIDEO: CMPD makes arrests, seizes cars after street takeovers during weekend)

CMPD makes arrests, seizes cars after street takeovers during weekend

©2024 Cox Media Group