A driver behind the wheel of a pickup truck rammed into a crowd of New Orleans revelers on Bourbon Street early on New Year's Day, killing at least 15 people in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
After the vehicle stopped, the driver emerged from the truck and opened fire on responding officers, New Orleans police said.
The driver was killed in the firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday along Bourbon Street in the city's bustling French Quarter, the FBI said. The agency also says an Islamic State group flag was found on the hitch of the truck.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said officials were investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.
Here is the latest information as of Wednesday night:
Biden: Attacker's video indicated 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."
— By Darlene Superville at Camp David
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.
Divorce records reveal information about 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.
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.
FBI had warned of 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 past 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 previously served in the U.S. 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.
— By Tara Copp in Washington.
A Baton Rouge father was killed in the attack
A 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge was among the 15 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.
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.
18-year-old who wanted to be a nurse is among the victims, 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.
Truck used in attack was rented using Turo app
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 review video of people placing an explosive device
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.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office, said at the news conference that officials are actively seeking any possible associates of Jabbar.
Attacker drove around police car, onto sidewalk
Authorities say that the driver of the truck 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.
Islamic State group flag found in vehicle used in attack, FBI says
An Islamic State group flag was recovered in the vehicle used by the attacker, the FBI said in a statement.
The FBI says it is still investigating the attacker, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, to determine "potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations."
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed by police.
— By Erik Tucker, Jim Mustian, Zeke Miller, Alanna Durkin Richer and Michael Balsamo
La. governor urges people to stay away from French Quarter
Louisiana's governor says people should stay away from the French Quarter because of the investigation into the deadly attack.
Gov. Jeff Landry posted on the social media platform X that authorities face "a fluid situation" as they investigate.
Landry posted, "We recognize that there are tourists around us, and we urge all to avoid the French Quarter as this is an active investigation."
Superdome on lockdown for security sweeps
The Superdome, which had been set to host a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night, remains on lockdown for security sweeps.
People with offices in the Superdome — including officials with the Sugar Bowl and Sun Belt Conference — were told not to come into work until further notice.
Earlier story:
A driver wrought carnage on New Orleans' famed French Quarter early on New Year's Day, killing 10 people as he steered around a police blockade and rammed a pickup truck into a crowd before being shot to death by police, authorities said.
More than 30 people were injured as the attack around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday turned festive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem and led to a one-day postponement of a college football playoff game that drew tens of thousands of fans to the city.
The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone. An Islamic State group flag was found on the vehicle's trailer hitch, the FBI said.
Guns and pipe bombs were also found in the vehicle, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. The devices, which were concealed within coolers, were wired for remote detonation, the bulletin said, and a corresponding remote control was discovered inside the vehicle.
The FBI said other potential explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter. According to the intelligence bulletin, surveillance footage captured three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices.
“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. The driver “defeated” safety measures that were in place to protect pedestrians, she said, and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas and said it is working to determine Jabbar's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible," Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said at a news conference.
Jabbar drove onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic and protect Bourbon Street revelers, authorities said. 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.
Police killed Jabbar after he exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding officers, police said. Three officers returned fire. Two were shot and are in stable condition, police said. They were in addition to 33 people injured in the vehicle attack.
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed.
Investigators recovered a handgun and 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.
“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.”
The Sugar Bowl college football playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame, originally scheduled for Wednesday night at the nearby Superdome, will now be played on Thursday.
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.”
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.
If confirmed as IS-inspired, the attack would represent the deadliest such assault on U.S. soil in years, coming as FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated international terrorism threat in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
The FBI in the last year 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.
