New Orleans terrorist attack: What we know so far

Homepage News New Orleans terrorist attack: What we know so far

02 January 2025, 08:15

The New Year’s car-ramming and shooting left 15 dead and dozens injured as the authorities search for possible accomplices

The US federal authorities are investigating the attack in New Orleans, Louisiana as an “act of terrorism,” after at least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured when a US Army veteran drove an SUV into a crowd celebrating the New Year.

How the attack unfolded

Chaos erupted in New Orleans’ iconic French Quarter at around 3:15am on January 1, 2025, when revelers celebrating New Year’s Day on Bourbon Street were struck by a white Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck that plowed through the densely packed crowd.

Eyewitnesses described the truck as barreling down the street at high speed, swerving into pedestrians before crashing into a construction crane.

After the crash, the driver exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding police officers with an assault rifle. The shootout left two officers wounded before law enforcement fatally shot the suspect, later identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

Weapons and suspected explosive devices were discovered inside the vehicle and at locations near the crash site, raising concerns about premeditation and potential accomplices.

‘ISIS-Inspired’ US Army veteran

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in the attack, was a US Army veteran who served from 2007 to 2015 on active duty and continued in the Army Reserve until 2020. He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the time of his discharge.

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An Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) flag was found in Jabbar’s vehicle, prompting federal investigators to classify the incident as a potential terrorist attack. Officials revealed that Jabbar converted to Islam within the last year and may have been radicalized online.

“Mere hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS and expressed a desire to kill,” President Joe Biden said in his address to the nation. However, no direct communication between Jabbar and ISIS has been confirmed.

Jabbar, a native of Beaumont, Texas, had no significant criminal record but reportedly exhibited erratic behavior in recent months.