15 dead, 35 injured.. repercussions of the run-over incident in New Orleans, USA

At least 15 people were killed and more than 30 injured Wednesday after a driver plowed a pickup truck into a crowd of people and opened fire in New Orleans' French Quarter, in what the mayor called a "terrorist attack."

Officials said the attacker was killed at the scene in an exchange of gunfire with police.

The FBI reported that the perpetrator of the attack was an American citizen named Shamsuddin Jabbar. He was a veteran of the US Army and later worked in real estate.

The office said in a statement that "Jabar is from Texas and is 42 years old and carried out the attack in a rented pickup truck, and that the flag of the terrorist organization "ISIS" was found in the vehicle." It said that he did not act alone and that they are looking for accomplices.

Some weapons and hand explosives were also seized in the car, noting that an investigation is underway into how he obtained the car.

The statement said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is trying to determine whether the explosives are operational or not, and that they will be defused if necessary.

While investigations are still ongoing, no information has yet emerged explaining why Jabbar carried out the attack.

In a promotional video for his real estate company posted on YouTube in 2020, a man with the same name as the suspect said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and information technology specialist.

“I have acquired these skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel that what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be a fierce negotiator,” the man said in the video, encouraging clients to contact him.

In the video, the man introduced himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Real Estate in Texas, whose license expired in 2022. Records show he was registered as a real estate sales agent for four years until February 2023. The man said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas.

Israel announces the infection of two of its citizens

Israel announced on Wednesday evening that two of its citizens were injured in the run-over incident. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “two Israeli youths were injured in the incident that took place on New Year’s Eve in the French Quarter in New Orleans,” according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. The statement added that the condition of the injured Israelis was “serious and moderate.”

“The driver was very intent on causing carnage,” police official Anne Kirkpatrick said at a press conference following the attack, noting that he opened fire from his car on two officers, wounding two of them, who are in stable condition.

CBS News quoted witnesses as saying that a truck traveling "very fast" rammed into the crowd before its driver jumped out and began shooting, prompting police to respond.

"Initial reports show a vehicle may have struck a group of people. The number of injuries is unknown, but there are reports of fatalities," a New Orleans police spokesman told CBS News.

Biden: We will not tolerate any attacks on our communities

Outgoing US President Joe Biden condemned the attack, stressing that his country will not tolerate any attack targeting our communities.

Biden said in a statement published on Wednesday that he had received information from relevant officials about the incident since the early morning hours.

He said the FBI has launched an investigation into the incident as a “terrorist attack.”

Biden offered his condolences to the families of the victims, stressing that “violence can have no legitimacy.” He added, “We will not tolerate any attack on our communities.”

Trump links attack to illegal immigration

For his part, US President-elect Donald Trump linked the deadly attack in New Orleans to illegal immigration, the issue that was the focus of his election victory.

“When I said the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals in this country… it turns out that’s true,” Trump wrote on social media. Police did not identify the attacker’s nationality or nationality.

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. The crime rate in our country is at a level that no one has ever seen…

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 1, 2025

Trump also said that the crime rate in the country “has reached a level that no one has ever seen before.”

However, the FBI has reported a sharp decline in violent crime across the country.

New Orleans stadium closed for security reasons

Following the attack, the Superdome in New Orleans, which was scheduled to host a college football quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night, was closed for security reasons.

Officials with offices in the Superdome were asked not to come to work until further notice.

However, there was no immediate announcement indicating that the Sugar Bowl game, scheduled for 7:45 p.m., would be postponed.

There is no indication at this time that the match will be postponed, but officials are waiting for a signal from the authorities that the danger has passed to ensure that the event at the 70,000-seat stadium can go ahead as planned, a source familiar with the matter said.

New Orleans has seen shootings and vehicles ramming into crowds at previous celebrations.

In November 2024, local media reported that two people were killed and 10 others were injured in two separate shooting incidents during a celebration in the city attended by thousands.

In February 2017, a pickup truck driven by a man who police said appeared to be extremely drunk plowed into a crowd of spectators watching the main show of a festival in New Orleans, injuring more than 20 people.

Source: Agencies