The New Year’s Day attack, in which a pickup truck plowed into a crowd gathered on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, killing 15 people, is suspected to be a terrorist attack. A pro-IS flag, explosives and a gun were recovered from the vehicle driven by the attacker.
The attacker has been identified as Shamsuddin Jabbar (42), a former military officer from Houston, Texas. The investigation is ongoing as a terrorist attack.
Police said in a news conference that the man drove a Ford pickup van onto the sidewalk at lightning speed and deliberately tried to hit as many people as possible. 15 people were killed and 32 were injured. The attacker opened fire on police who arrived at the scene. Police then shot and killed him.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the scene of the accident and from the vehicle. A pipe bomb was placed in the cooler of the vehicle. It is believed that the attacker intended to detonate the bomb using a remote control. The remote control was recovered from the vehicle itself. The pickup truck he was driving was electric and is believed to have been rented in Texas through an app.
