New Orleans incident: What we know so far as car ploughs into crowd in Louisiana city’s French Quarter | US Newsnews24

Ten people have been killed and at least another 35 injured after a pickup truck mowed down a crowd celebrating the New Year in New Orleans.

The FBI says it is investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism”.

The suspect, who has has been killed in a shootout with police, has been identified by NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, as Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42.

Here is what we know so far:

The fatal attack and death of driver

The incident occurred at around 3.15am on the corner of Canal Street and Bourbon Street in the city’s popular French Quarter as New Year revellers were still celebrating the beginning of 2025.

Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), said the male pickup driver sped through the crowd of pedestrians, manoeuvred around the barricades, and fired a weapon after crashing his vehicle, reportedly a white Ford F-150 Lightning.

Superintendent Kirkpatrick said: “It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation.

“He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”

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Two police officers were shot by the attacker but are in a “stable condition”, according to the superintendent.

The suspect was killed in a firefight with police, law enforcement officials confirmed later on Wednesday.

Superintendent Kirkpatrick said the force has called in every officer it has to help with the ongoing investigation.

Witnesses to the deadly attack

Warning: Distressing and graphic descriptions

Jimmy Cothran said he heard gunshots and a “lot of commotion” in the area, and ducked into a nightclub in an attempt to avoid it.

“Within a couple of minutes of walking in, a group of frantic females ran inside, pushing past security and hid under tables,” he told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.

“Our first thoughts were somebody’s shooting or chasing them.”

He said he ran upstairs to the balcony, where he saw bodies mutilated and people “obviously deceased”.

Mr Cothran described the harrowing scene as “unbelievable”, saying one of the victims had tyre marks on their body.

The nightclub was locked down, with Mr Cothran adding: “They wouldn’t let us out. I have training, but they just immediately locked us in there.”

Eventually people started attending to the bodies, he said.

He claimed the pickup truck that carried out the attack came barrelling past at around 70mph and there were only “flimsy” barricades in place along Bourbon Street to stop it.

He said within “two minutes tops” the driver was “long gone” and police officers were chasing him on foot.

Improvised explosive device at the scene

Officials are also investigating the discovery of at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.

Investigators are additionally trying to determine if the suspect used a long-gun rifle and was firing it into the crowd while running people over, three senior officials told our US partner network NBC.

The vehicle used in the incident is also an intense focus for federal investigators, who are using the licence plate to try to uncover more information on the suspect and what unfolded.

A white stick or pipe with a black cloth wrapped around it was also found on the rear of the vehicle, the senior officials said.

It’s possible the cloth could be a flag or contain markings, but investigators are still looking into the matter.

Who was behind the attack?

The motive remains unclear.

But the suspect has been named as Din Jabbar. Investigators are still working on information about his background and potential travel history, NBC reported.

US president-elect Donald Trump had earlier appeared to suggest the perpetrator was an immigrant when he wrote on Truth Social: “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.”

‘Act of terrorism’

Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” but FBI assistant special agent Alethea Duncan initially reported it as “not a terrorist event”.

However, the FBI later confirmed the suspect was killed after engaging with officers, adding: “The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

What else have Biden and Trump said?

US President Joe Biden said he has been continually briefed on the incident throughout the day and he is grateful for “the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury”.

“There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities,” he added.

Mr Trump said in a statement that his incoming administration would “fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil”.

Posting on Truth Social, he said: “Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department.”

Meanwhile, Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said she will ensure the victims and their families “get justice for this appalling act”.

Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said in a post on X that he was “praying for all the victims and first responders on scene”.

He called the incident a “horrific act of violence”.

French Quarter and Sugar Bowl game

Bourbon Street is a popular and historic tourist area in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The area is filled with bars and restaurants and frequently becomes full of pedestrians.

As well as the New Year crowds, the city is also set to host the Sugar Bowl college American football game at the nearby Caesars Superdome later in the day.

Superintendent Kirkpatrick said officers would work to ensure safety at the match between Georgia and Notre Dame, indicating it will go ahead as scheduled.