15 people were killed and at least 35 injured when a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans.
11:05•Updated 11:18
A man ran over people celebrating the turn of the year on the popular Bourbon Street in the French Quarter area. According to the police, the driver tried to hit as many people as possible.
FBI: it was a terrorist attack
The federal police FBI is investigating the mass murder as an act of terrorism.
The police do not believe that the man driving the car acted alone. The authorities found a flag of the terrorist organization Isis in the car. In addition, the police found two self-made explosives near the crime scene.
According to authorities, the perpetrator uploaded videos to social media in which he talked about ISIS just hours before the attack.
In the videos, the man told that he joined ISIS.
What is known about the perpetrator?
The man who drove into the crowd was 42 years old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. He was killed by police bullets. Before this, Jabbar wounded two policemen in a shootout.
Jabbar was a US citizen and served in the US Army from 2007 to 2020. He served in the army in IT positions, among other things. Jabbar was also on assignment in Afghanistan for about a year.
Jabbar had graduated from university and had been married twice.
After the army, Jabbar reportedly worked in real estate. According to court documents, he had financial difficulties, says the news channel CNN.
Jabbar had previously been guilty of theft and traffic violations.
Police cars in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve:
The FBI is searching the house
Since the massacre, police have been searching New Orleans’ French Quarter for suspicious packages and other possible security threats.
The FBI has conducted searches related to the attack in New Orleans and elsewhere in the United States, including Houston. At the same time, the police have continued the crime scene investigation.
Authorities are investigating whether the massacre in New Orleans is connected to the subsequent explosion in Las Vegas.
On the morning of New Year’s Day, a Tesla car blew up the future president of the United States Donald Trump’s in front of the partially owned hotel.
Jabbar rented a pickup truck from the same car rental company that also rented the car that exploded in Las Vegas.
What were the obstacles on Bourbon Street like?
Officials were renewing the barriers brought to Bourbon Street to protect pedestrians.
of the New York Times according to the new posts were not working when the impact occurred.
According to the original plan, the installation of the new barriers was supposed to be completed in time for the Super Bowl, the final game of the American football league played in the city in February.