At least 10 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured in New Orleans early Wednesday after a man rammed his pickup truck into a crowd during New Year's celebrations and then shot at police officers when he crashed, officials said.
Authorities said the suspect, who is now dead, intentionally plowed a Ford pickup truck into a large group of revelers on Bourbon Street about 3:15 a.m. in what the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
The FBI identified the suspect as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas.
Authorities found an ISIS flag, weapons and a potential improvised explosive device in the truck, which appears to have been rented, according to the FBI.
The agency said it believes the suspect was not acting alone. The FBI said it was working to determine the suspect’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
"This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could," Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, said at a news conference. "He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did."
The suspect drove around barricades erected to stop traffic and onto the sidewalk, Kirkpatrick said. "We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it," she said.
After he crashed his truck, the suspect left the vehicle and shot two police officers, who are in stable condition, according to Kirkpatrick and the FBI.
Three officers returned fire and killed the suspect, Kirkpatrick said.
Jimmy Cothran, who witnessed the carnage from a nightclub balcony, said he saw multiple bodies lying on the street within seconds, including many that were “horribly disfigured” and one marred by tire tracks.
“It was unbelievable,” he told NBC News’ Hallie Jackson. “It just kept going.”
Federal investigators and local law enforcement in New Orleans are trying to determine if the suspect used a long-gun rifle and whether he may have fired into the crowd while running people over, according to three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city of New Orleans was “impacted by a terrorist attack.”
The FBI said it was working to investigate the incident as an act of terrorism. Improvised explosive devices were found, the FBI said, though the agency said it was working to confirm if they were viable explosives.
President Biden has been briefed on the attack, according to a White House official.
The dozens injured were being treated in local hospitals, as were the two injured officers, Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick said it was unclear how many victims were locals, but said that according to preliminary information "it seems the majority are locals versus tourists."
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the incident a "horrific act of violence" in a post on X and said he was praying for the victims.
