NEW ORLEANS: A 42-year-old Texas man crashed a pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day in the French quarter of New Orleans and then opened fire on police, killing 10 people and injuring 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was “a potential act of terrorism”.

The driver, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas, died at the scene in the shootout with police and may have been acting in concert with others, officials said. The incident occurred at 3.15am (0915 GMT) near the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, a historic tourist destination in the city’s French quarter known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.

A flag of the militant Islamic State group was found in the vehicle, prompting an investigation into “possible links to terrorist organisations”, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. It said the vehicle appeared to have been rented.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates,” FBI official Alethea Duncan told a press conference.

FBI investigating the incident as an act of terrorism

Investigators found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, and other potential explosive devices were found in the French quarter, Duncan, the FBI official, said. Two explosive devices were rendered safe, she added.

Officials postponed the Sugar Bowl, a classic American college football game played in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, event organisers said. The city will also be the site of the NFL Super Bowl on Feb 9.

One city leader described the assailant as being in full military gear.

“This is not just an act of terrorism, this is evil,” police chief Anne Kirkpatrick told the press conference.

“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” she said at a previous press conference.

Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, shot and wounded two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed. The officers were in stable condition, she added.

About 400 officers were on duty in the French quarter at the time of the incident, police said.

“This is a fluid situation and we are in coordination with numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies to ensure a complete and thorough investigation to bring those who may have been part of this incident to justice,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on X.

President Joe Biden called the city’s mayor to offer full federal support.

President-elect Donald Trump said his incoming administration would help New Orleans as it investigates and recovers from “an act of pure evil”.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2025