At approximately 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, a pick-up truck ploughed into a bustling crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, US, leaving at least 15 people dead and over 35 injured. The FBI has categorised the incident as a terrorist attack, with investigations ongoing into potential links between the attacker and the Islamic State (ISIS).
The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas and a former soldier, drove a rented Ford pick-up truck into the crowded French Quarter. After the collision, Jabbar exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding police officers, injuring two, before being shot and killed in the exchange.
Law enforcement discovered an ISIS flag and weapons inside the truck, along with what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED). Additional suspected IEDs were located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s bomb technicians are assessing the devices and working with law enforcement partners to ensure public safety.
Video shows the moment the FBI says Shamsud Din Jabbar raced onto a packed Bourbon Street from Canal Street in a pickup truck with Texas plates and an ISIS flag. https://t.co/P0iWiTX30Z pic.twitter.com/hmeB1tUjpc
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) January 1, 2025
As New Orleans mourns the tragedy, federal and local authorities continue to ensure public safety while piecing together the events and motives behind this horrific act.
On the same day, a car filled with fuel and fireworks exploded in front of the entrance of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing one person and injuring at least seven. Authorities are investing possible links between the two incidents.
