A US Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a New Year’s Eve crowd in New Orleans, killing 15 peoplehad posted videos on social media hours before the massacre saying he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressing his desire to kill, President Joe Biden said.
The FBI said it was investigating the early Wednesday attack, in which the driver dodged a police blockade and He crashed into the crowd before being shot dead by policeas a terrorist act, and that he did not believe that he had acted alone.
The researchers They found weapons and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle – which carried the flag of the Islamic State group – along with other explosive devices in other locations in the city’s famous French Quarter.
The president Joe Biden He said Wednesday night that the FBI had found the videos the driver posted on social media. He described the attack as “despicable” and “atrocious act.”
The accident turned the festive Bourbon Street into a macabre scene of mutilated victims, bloodied corpses and pedestrians fleeing for safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. In addition to the dead, dozens of people were injured. A college football game at the nearby Superdome was postponed until Thursday.
Zion Parsons18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw the truck “going through, throwing people like a movie scene, lthrowing people into the air.”
“Bodies, bodies all over the street, everyone screaming and screaming”said Parsons, whose friend Nikyra Dedeaux was among the people killed.
“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil.”said New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.
The attack is the latest example of use of a vehicle as a weapon to carry out acts of mass violence and the deadliest IS-inspired assault on American soil in years.
The driver “defeated” security measures established to protect pedestrians, Kirkpatrick said, and was “bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did.”
The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, American citizen from Texasand said it was working to determine any possible associations with terrorist organizations.
“We do not believe that Jabbar was the only one responsible”FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a press conference.
The researchers found multiple improvised explosivesincluding two pipe bombs that were hidden in refrigerators and prepared to be detonated remotely, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The newsletter, based on preliminary information collected shortly after the attackalso cited surveillance footage showing three men and a woman placing one of the devices, but federal officials did not immediately confirm that detail and it was not clear who they were or what connection, if any, they had to the attack. some.
Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk, surrounding a police car that was positioned to block vehicle traffic, according to authorities. A barrier system intended to prevent vehicle attacks was being repaired in preparation for the Super Bowl of February.
Jabbar was shot dead by police after he got out of the truck and opened fire on responding officers, Kirkpatrick said. Three officers returned fire. Two of them were injured by gunshots and are stable.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR rifleaccording to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Deadly explosions also occurred in Honolulu y 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 related to the New Orleans attack but had “nothing to report” as of Wednesday night.
A photo spread among law enforcement showed a Bearded Jabbar dressed in camouflage next to the truck after being killed. The intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP He said he was wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.. The flag of the Islamic State group was on the hitch of the rtrailer of the truck, 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 this morning.”said U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana. “If this doesn’t trigger the gag reflex of every American, every righteous American, I’d be very surprised.”
Jabbar joined the Army in 2007serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of first sergeant.
This Wednesday a YouTube video appeared on social media featuring a man who shares a name with Shamsud-Din Jabba. In the video, Jabbar introduces himself as a property manager from Texas and explains how his military experience has helped him in his real estate career. “I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I think what sets me apart is my ability to be a fierce negotiator,” he says, encouraging clients to contact him.
In the video, he identifies himself as a manager of Blue Meadow Properties LLCa Texas-based company whose license expired in 2022. Records show it was registered as a real estate sales agent until February 2023.
His brother Abdur Jabbar, 24, of Beaumont, Texas, described the attacker as “a charm, a good guy, a friend, very intelligent, affectionate”. His brother converted to Islam as a young man, Jabbar said, “but what he did does not represent Islam. “It is more about some kind of radicalization, not religion.”
Hours after the attack, several coroner’s office vans were parked at the corner of Bourbon and Canal streets, cordoned off by police tape with crowds of stunned tourists standing around, some trying to navigate their luggage through the maze of blockades.
The governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landryurged people to avoid the area, which remained an active crime scene.
“We looked out the front door and saw caution tape and dead silence, and it’s creepy,” 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 the city. At a coffee shop a block from where the truck stopped, people gathered for breakfast while upbeat pop music played. Two blocks away, people were drinking at a bar, seemingly as if nothing had happened.
Biden, from the presidential retreat at Camp David, addressed the victims and the residents of New Orleans: “I want you to know that I am mourning with you. Our nation cries with you as you cry and as you heal.”
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families, who were simply trying to celebrate the holidays.”Biden said in an earlier written statement. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attacks against any of our nation’s communities.”
FBI officials have repeatedly warned of a elevated international terrorist threat due to the war between Israel and Hamas In the last year, the agency has thwarted other potential attacks, such as in October, when it arrested an Afghan in Oklahoma for an alleged Election Day plot targeting large crowds.
(With information from AP and Reuters)
