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NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The U.S. Army veteran who killed 15 people by driving his pickup truck into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans posted a video on social media hours before the massacre, showing himself was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressed a desire to kill, the president said.
The FBI said it was investigating an early Wednesday attack in which a driver swerved to avoid a police blockade and hit revelers before being shot and killed by police in an act of terrorism. He said he did not believe he acted alone.
Investigators found a gun and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (complete with an Islamic flag) inside the car, as well as other explosive devices elsewhere in the city’s famous French Quarter.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday night that the FBI had discovered the video the driver posted on social media. He called the attack a “despicable” and “heinous act.”
The riot turned festive Bourbon Street into a macabre scene of seriously injured victims, bloody bodies and pedestrians fleeing for safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. In addition to the dead, dozens of people were injured. College Football Playoff games at the nearby Superdome have been postponed until Thursday.
Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw a truck “speeding through, throwing people into the air, like a scene from a movie.”
“There are bodies all over the street and everyone is screaming and screaming,” Parsons said. His friend Nikila Dedo was among those killed.
“This is more than just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” said New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.
The attack was the latest example of vehicles being used as weapons to carry out mass violence and is the deadliest Islamic State-inspired attack on U.S. soil in recent years.
Mr Kirkpatrick said the driver had “defeated” safety measures put in place to protect pedestrians and was “desperate to cause carnage and damage”.
The FBI identified the driver as Shamsuddin Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen living in Texas, and said it was working to determine possible ties to terrorist organizations.
“We do not believe Mr. Jabbar was solely responsible,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alecia Duncan said at a press conference.
Investigators found multiple improvised explosive devices, including two pipe bombs hidden inside a cooler and wired to detonate remotely, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The bulletin also cited surveillance footage that it said showed three men and a woman installing one of the devices, based on preliminary information gathered shortly after the attack, but federal authorities said The details were not immediately confirmed and it was not clear who they were or what connection they had, if any, to the attack.
Authorities said Jabbar drove a rented pickup onto the sidewalk and bypassed a police car that was positioned to block traffic. A barrier system to prevent vehicle attacks was being repaired in preparation for February’s Super Bowl.
Kirkpatrick said Jabbar was killed by police after he got out of his truck and opened fire on responding officers. Three police officers returned fire. Two people were shot but are in stable condition.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle, said a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
There were also deadly explosions in Honolulu and outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump. President Joe Biden said the FBI was investigating whether the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the New Orleans attack but had “nothing to report” as of Wednesday night.
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar in camouflage next to the truck where he was killed. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet, according to a bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. The FBI said the truck’s trailer hitch had an Islamic State flag on it.
“Those who don’t believe in objective evil need only look at what happened in our city early this morning,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana). I would be very surprised at the gag reflex of every American, every fair-minded American. ”
Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, served on active duty in human resources and information technology, and was deployed to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the military said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and retired in 2020 with the rank of sergeant.
Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off with police tape and surrounded by a crowd of stunned tourists, some with luggage inside. Some people were trying to make their way through the maze of blockades with their hands on them.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry urged people to avoid areas where crime scenes remain active.
“I looked out the front door and saw warning tape and complete silence. It was 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.”
Nearby, life continued as normal in a city known to some for its motto, which means “Let’s have a good time.” A block away from where the truck stopped, people crowded into a cafe for breakfast while upbeat pop music played. Two blocks away, people were drinking at a bar as if nothing had happened.
Speaking from the presidential retreat at Camp David, Biden addressed the victims and the people of New Orleans: As you grieve and heal, our nation grieves with you. ”
Biden earlier issued a written statement saying his “heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday.” “Violence of any kind is not justified and we will not tolerate attacks against any community in our country.”
FBI officials have repeatedly warned of the growing threat of international terrorism from the Israel-Hamas war. The agency has thwarted other potential attacks, including the arrest last October of an Afghan man in Oklahoma on suspicion of an election-day conspiracy targeting large crowds.
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Mr. Tucker reported from Washington, D.C., and Mr. Mustian from Black Mountain, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Stephen Smith, Chevelle Johnson and Brett Martell in New Orleans; Jeff Martin of Atlanta; Alana Durkin Richer, Tara Kopp and Zeke Miller in Washington, DC; Darlene Superville of New Castle, Delaware; Colleen Long of West Palm Beach, Florida; and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report.
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