The suspect was identified Wednesday morning by NOLA.com as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, who was reportedly born and raised in Texas and served in the military. The suspect was carrying an ISIS flag, a source apparently told NOLA.com.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell characterized the fatal incident a “terrorist attack” at the press conference.
Jackson Square, where the city’s New Year’s Eve Concert and Countdown took place at 9 p.m. Tuesday, lies less than a mile from the scene. Police officers were in the vicinity to secure these major events, according to the statement.
The suspect had driven around police barricades and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” she said.
More locals than tourists were injured as of the time of the press conference, Kirkpatrick told reporters.
“I have been in direct contact with the White House, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and of course a unified command who sic is present here,” Cantrell added.
The injured officers were last known to be in stable condition at an area hospital. Emergency personnel also took other injured victims to area hospitals, the police said.
A College Football Playoff game between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame is slated to take place Wednesday night at the Ceasar’s Superdome, a mile away from the scene. A parade — The Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year’s Eve Parade — was scheduled for the afternoon before and would go through various streets in the area, according to an NOPD statement.
Police cordon off the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 2025. At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured Wednesday when a vehicle plowed overnight into a New year’s crowd in the heart of the thriving New Orleans tourist district, authorities in the southern US city said. (Photo by Matthew HINTON / AFP) (Photo by MATTHEW HINTON/AFP via Getty Images)Updates are expected in what is an active, dynamic situation, according to authorities.
A driver plowed through a New Orleans crowd in an alleged terrorist attack just a few hours into 2025, killing ten victims and injuring about 35 others, authorities said.
After crashing his truck, the suspect fired at officers responding to distress calls coming from the scene, injuring two officers. The officers fired back and killed the suspect, the NOPD added.
Fox News reported Wednesday morning that the truck used in the attack had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, in November. That has not been confirmed.
