Driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 15; FBI doesn’t believe he acted alone

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An Army veteran driving a pickup truck that bore the flag of the Islam ic State group wrought carnage on New Orleans’ raucous New Year’s cel – ebration, killing 15 peo – ple as he steered around a police blockade and slammed into revelers be – fore being shot dead by police.

The FBI said it is inves – tigating the attack early Wednesday in the city’s famed French Quarter as a terrorist act and does not believe the driver acted alone.

Investigators found mul – tiple improvised explo – sive devices, including two pipe bombs that were concealed within cool – ers and wired for remote detonation, according to a Louisiana State Police in – telligence bulletin obtained by the Associated Press.

The bulletin, relying on information gathered soon after the attack, also said surveillance footage showed three men and a woman placing one of the devices, but federal offi – cials did not immediately confirm that detail and it wasn’t clear who the indi – viduals in the video were or what connection they may have had to the attack.

The rampage turned fes tive Bourbon Street into macabre mayhem. In ad dition to the dead, more than 30 people were in – jured. Pedestrians fled to safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. One man watched in horror as au –

thorities placed a tarp over his friend’s body af – ter she was hit and thrown some 30 feet.

A college football play – off game between Geor gia-Notre Dame at the nearby Superdome was postponed until Thursday. A Georgia student was critically hurt in the at – tack, university president Jere Morehead said.

“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” New Orleans Po – lice Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. The driver “defeated” safety measures in place to pro –

tect pedestrians, she said, and was “hell-bent on cre ating the carnage and the damage that he did.” The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, and said it is working to determine Jab- bar’s potential associa – tions and affiliations with terrorist organizations.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely re – sponsible,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a news conference.

Deadly explosions also rocked Honolulu on New Year’s Eve and Las Vegas hours after the New Or – leans attack, though au – thorities have not said if they’re related.

In New Orleans, author – ities said, Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto

a sidewalk, going around a police car that was posi – tioned to block vehicular traffic. A barrier system meant to prevent vehicle attacks was undergoing repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to take place there in February.

Police killed Jabbar af – ter he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers, Kirkpatrick said. Three officers returned fire. Two officers were shot and are in stable con – dition, police said.

Investigators recovered a handgun and AR-style rifle, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a beard ed Jabbar wearing cam- ouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The intelligence bulletin ob – tained by the AP said he was wearing a ballistic vest and helmet. The flag of the Islamic State group was on the truck’s trailer hitch, the FBI said.

“For those people who don’t believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in our city early this morn – ing,” U.S. Sen. John Ken – nedy, a Republican, said. “If this doesn’t trigger the gag reflex of every Amer – ican, every fair-minded American, I’ll be very surprised.”

Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technol – ogy and deploying to Af – ghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.

Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Miss., said he saw the truck “barreling through, throwing peo- ple like in a movie scene, throwing people into the air.” Parsons said he heard gun – shots and ran through a grue – some aftermath of bleeding and maimed victims.

“Bodies, bodies all up and down the street, ev – erybody screaming and hollering,” Parsons told the AP. “People crying on the floor, like brain matter all over the ground.” The attack is the latest example of a vehicle be – ing 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-in – spired, the attack would represent the deadliest such assault on U.S. soil in years. FBI officials have repeatedly warned about an elevated interna – tional terrorism threat due to the Israel-Hamas war.

In the last year, the FBI has disrupted other poten – tial 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.