HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Ford F-150 Lightning truck driven by the suspect in a deadly attack during New Year celebrations in New Orleans has ties to the Houston area, sources confirmed to ABC Houston affiliate KTRK.
The electric truck with Texas plates was rented via the app Turo, a vehicle-sharing platform, from a man in Houston. Sources say the truck was then observed Tuesday in north Harris County around Treaschwig Road and Aldine Westfield Road around 10:15 a.m., and then again at 11:10 a.m.
At 12:15 p.m., the truck was reportedly observed in Baytown, Texas, heading east on I-10 in the direction of New Orleans, sources tell KTRK.
ABC News spoke to the truck’s owner, who confirmed he rented the vehicle to an individual through Turo. The owner said he is currently talking to the FBI and declined to comment further.
The suspect is Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, of Texas, the FBI said.
An ISIS flag was found in the vehicle, and the FBI is working too determine the suspect’s potential associations with the terrorist organization.
READ MORE: New Orleans updates: 10 dead, dozens injured after vehicle plows into crowd in ‘terrorist attack’
A suspect who was “hellbent” on killing as many people as possible drove a pickup truck around barricades and plowed his vehicle through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans at a high rate of speed, leaving at least 10 dead and injuring dozens of others early Wednesday, city and federal officials said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the FBI is investigating this matter as an act of terrorism.
Explosive devices found in and around the scene on Bourbon Street were apparently found to be viable, multiple law enforcement sources also tell ABC News.
ABC News reports that some hotels are being evacuated in the area and that several controlled detonations have taken place.
After mowing down numerous people over a three-block stretch on the famed thoroughfare while firing shots into the crowd, the suspect allegedly got out of the truck wielding an assault rifle and opened fire on police officers, law enforcement officials briefed on the incident told ABC News. Officers returned fire, killing the suspect who was not immediately identified, sources said. At least two police officers were shot and wounded, authorities said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the horrific incident a “terrorist attack” and the FBI said it was being investigated as an act of terror. The bloodshed comes on the heels of a deadly vehicle ramming attack in Germany. Fears of such attacks were a growing concern among law enforcement as well as attacks by lone actors at winter holiday events.
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver had attempted to kill as many people as possible. The truck used in the attack appeared to be a F-150 Lightning, an electric vehicle. A black flag appeared to be attached to the vehicle, but its significance was not immediately known.
RELATED: Witnesses describe scenes of carnage after New Orleans attack that left 10 dead
Viewer Discretion Advised: Some descriptions may be graphic
By the time the melee — which was described by city officials as a “mass casualty incident” — had ended, at least 35 people were injured, New Orleans police and city officials said. Most of the victims appeared to be local, officials said.
“He was hellbent on creating the carnage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said at a news conference early Wednesday.
The New Orleans Police Department said the attack occurred despite the force being “staffed 100%” for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl, a college football game played annually on New Year’s Day. An additional 300 officers were on duty from partner agencies, the police department said.
Local authorities asked the FBI for assistance early on Wednesday, a senior federal law enforcement source told ABC News. A command center was being set up, the source said. The FBI was set to lead the investigation.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Gov. Jeff Landry said, adding that his family was praying for the victims and first responders.
Now, officials are working to do a background check on the gun and are searching surveillance cameras to try and get a timeline of the suspect’s movements.
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