The death toll in a terror attack against New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana is up to 15, new reports indicate.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, aged 42 and from Houston, Texas, caused chaos when he drove a rented Ford F-150 into a busy Bourbon Street. He skillfully maneuvered around police cars and took advantage of gaps in the barricades that had not been put up yet. Sadly, his actions resulted in the injury of many and the tragic loss of 15 lives.
During a press conference, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick mentioned that there were patrol cars present as a security measure. However, Jabbar managed to evade them by driving onto the sidewalk, thus bypassing the designated safety measures.
On top of the vehicular attack, bombs were discovered in the French Quarter, and Jabbar’s truck had an ISIS flag attached to the trailer hitch.
The FBI is treating this incident as an act of terrorism and suspects that Jabbar may have had accomplices. A bulletin from the Louisiana State Police, circulated among law enforcement agencies, revealed surveillance footage showing three men and a woman potentially setting up an explosive device in the vicinity. This aspect of the investigation is currently ongoing.
CONTINUING COVERAGE:
More details about Jabbar are also emerging, some of which are disturbing.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old man who police suspect drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, made the chilling recordings while driving from his home in Texas to Louisiana, authorities believe.
This is a developing story.