On New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, an unfortunate scene took place in New Orleans. Early on Wednesday morning, a man intentionally drove a pickup truck through the crowded streets on Bourbon Street.
15 people lost their lives in this tragedy and over 30 were injured. The driver also died.
People were gathered to celebrate the start of a new year, the partied streets were barricaded and blocked by officers. The attacker drove through police cars managing to go through the barriers. After the scene, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said in a news conference that the man “was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
The driver opened fire on responding police officers, dying in the shootout and wounding two additional officers.
The Sugar Bowl was additionally set to take place that Wednesday night. The game between the University of Georgia and the University of Notre Dame was furthermore postponed for Thursday night.
The driver of the vehicle was later identified as 42-year-old Texas citizen, Shamsud-Din Jabbar. According to the FBI, the truck seemed to have been a rented vehicle. Jabbar was also an army veteran, serving in the US Army from 2007 to 2020. He had been deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010 and served in active duty between Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010.
FBI investigations speculate this event was an act of terrorism. Items such as a flag of the Islamic State group, guns and what looked like an improvised explosive device were found in the truck after the crash. Leading to questions on his involvement and the involvement of others in this attack. No one has yet to claim responsibility for the attack.
A day after the attack FBI bomb technicians identified two IEDs inside coolers in the area, both functional. Later surveillance camera footage catches Jabbar placing these devices. In the end, it was claimed safe.
Hours before the attack, Jabbar posted videos on social media expressing his desire to kill, as well as his inspiration from the Islamic State group. This footage was later captured by the FBI.
Current President Biden addressed a statement saying, “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”