Police officers stand at the scene where a truck drove into a large crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. January 1, 2025 in this screengrab taken from a video. ABC Affiliate WGNO/Handout via REUTERS ABC Affiliate WGNO/Handout via REUTERS
Scene of the New Orleans attack

New Orleans: At Least 12 Killed in Ramming-Shooting ‘Terrorist Attack’; 2 Israelis Among Wounded

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‘This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,’ Police Chief said.

By Reuters and JNS

A driver crashed his truck into a crowd at high speed in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the wee hours of New Year’s Day then opened fire, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 35, city officials and police said. Two of the injured are Israeli citizens, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced.

“This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a televised press conference on Wednesday. “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”

The incident at 3:15 a.m. occurred at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets during New Year’s celebrations, the city said in a statement. Bourbon Street is a historic tourist destination in the city’s French Quarter, known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.

Kirkpatrick said the driver fired at police and struck two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed. The officers are in stable condition, she added.

She said more than 300 officers were on duty at the time of the incident. The city hosts the Sugar Bowl, a classic American college football game, each New Year’s Day.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the event a “terrorist attack.”

Similarly, although an FBI agent had previously stated that the incident was not terror-related, the bureau subsequently stated that “we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

Multiple news outlets reported, citing law enforcement, that the alleged attacker was Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, a Texan who had served in the U.S. military. The sources also told multiple outlets that there was an ISIS flag on the rented pickup truck, which was used in the attack and had Texas plates.

Fox News reported that there are four or other suspects involved, citing a “high-level” source. It added that a “Glock handgun and a .308 caliber rifle equipped with optics and a sensor were recovered from the crime scene.”

The attacker was reportedly dressed in military gear and multiple improvised explosive devices were found on the scene, according to multiple news reports.

Asked about the attacker, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “again, I’m not going to comment until I speak to every member of the agencies,” per the White House pool report.

“I’m not going to say anything until I get all the facts,” the president added, noting that his reaction was “anger and frustration,” per the pool.

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” the president said in a statement. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”

President-elect Donald Trump stated that “our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.”

“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the fake news media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump added. “The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated that “I am treating this as a terrorist attack and will work closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas National Guard and law enforcement at every level to ensure we know exactly what happened, that the danger is contained, and that every detail is analyzed to make sure there is no other attack like this.”

Verified video taken by an onlooker shows at least two twisted bodies in the street, with one of them lying in what appears to be a puddle of blood. A bystander is seen kneeling over one of the bodies as a group of uniformed military personnel in green uniforms and carrying firearms runs past.

“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said on X, urging people to stay away from the area where the attack took place.

The injured were taken to at least five different hospitals, according to NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness department.

The White House said it had been in touch with the mayor to offer support.

A couple told CBS News that they heard crashing noises coming from down the street and then saw a white truck slam through a barricade “at a high rate of speed”.

New Orleans has experienced shootings and cars colliding with crowds at past parades.

In November 2024, two people were killed and 10 injured in two separate shootings along a New Orleans parade route and celebration attended by thousands, local media reported.

In February 2017, a man who police said appeared to be highly intoxicated plowed a pickup truck into a crowd of spectators watching the main Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, injuring more than 20 people.

(United with Israel contributed to this report.)

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