10 Killed, Scores Injured In New Orleans After ‘Islamic Truck Attack’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
NEW ORLEANS, USA (Worthy News) – Ten people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle drove into a crowd in an apparent Islamic “act of terrorism” in the U.S. city of New Orleans before the suspect was shot dead, law enforcement officials confirmed Wednesday.
“The attack” occurred around 3:15 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day near the city’s famed intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that the alleged attacker is dead “after engaging” with local law enforcement.
The FBI named the suspect as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen from Texas.
It stressed they are investigating the crash “as an act of terrorism” while New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell referred to it as a likely “terrorist attack.”
The FBI added that a flag of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, was found in the Ford pickup truck the suspect was driving, which appeared to be rented. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the violence.
Wednesday’s attack, which turned New Year celebrations into a tragedy, left a trail of destruction, witnesses saw.
BYPASSING BARRICADES
The suspect reportedly bypassed barricades and fired on officers after crashing his vehicle. Two officers were shot but are in stable condition, according to authorities.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” said Kirkpatrick, adding that reports of injuries were still coming in.
“The city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack,” Mayor Cantrell said.
She said she had been in direct contact with the White House, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, and a unified command team operating on the scene.
Landry described the incident on social media as a “horrific act of violence.”
The White House explained that U.S. President Joe Biden called the New Orleans mayor Wednesday morning to offer full federal support following the news overnight.
“I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,” Biden said in a statement.
WHITE HOUSE
The White House said the president “was briefed” on the latest developments by senior law enforcement officials from the FBI and his homeland security team. It added that he would be briefed on the incident throughout the day.
The New Orleans attack came after similar violence in Europe, where on December 20
a BMW sports utility vehicle was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, killing five people, including a nine-year-old child, officials said. At least 235 others were reportedly injured.
The detained suspect was named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi citizen who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had worked as a doctor.
Earlier in 2016, Anis Amri, a Tunisian man who failed to gain asylum in Germany and had links to the Islamic State group, drove a truck into crowds gathered at a church market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 49 others, investigators said.
Two years later, a gunman opened fire on a Christmas market in the eastern French city of Strasbourg, killing five and injuring another 11 people. The gunman was shot dead by police two days later.
Only last month, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser talked about the need for “greater vigilance” and also called for stricter laws on weapons in public spaces after a knife attack in Solingen, West Germany, in August in which three people died.
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.
Death count now 15.