A tragic event unfolded in New Orleans when a driver of a pick-up truck drove through a crowded street, leading to the death of at least 15 people in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Many others were left injured as the devastating incident occurred, with CCTV capturing the terrifying moment when the driver, identified as Texan Shamsud-Din Jabbar, intentionally steered his vehicle into a group of people in the Bourbon Street area.
Warning: This video contains scenes which some viewers may find distressing.
Jabbar, a former US veteran who had served in Afghanistan, reportedly had an ISIS flag in the rented truck. The FBI is treating the incident as a possible ‘act of terrorism’.
The FBI speculates that the 42-year-old did not act independently, suggesting he might not be ‘solely responsible’.
Jabbar, who had been married twice, was killed in a gunfire exchange with authorities.
In a statement released on January 1, the FBI stated: “Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others.
“After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.
“The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle.”
The statement further added: “An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
“Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter.
“The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe.
“The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject.”
Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick of the New Orleans Police Department described that Jabbar was able to drive around barriers and police vehicles to reach the sidewalk.
“We had a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and he still got around,” Kirkpatrick mentioned, according to CBS News.
President Joe Biden’s statement included: “I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury.
“I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.
“I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share.
“In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”