New Orleans: 15 Die After Driver Intentionally Drives Truck Into Crowd
A man rammed his truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during New Year celebrations, killing 15 people. He is suspected to be an ISIS member.
Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA is a well-known nightlife and tourist hotspot that is filled with restaurants, bars and clubs with live music. On 1st Jan 2025, a horrifying incident occurred amidst the New Year celebrations there. At around 3:15 am, just as the New Year celebrations were coming to an end, a Ford F-150 A Lightning E-truck drove onto the pavement to get around a police car and hit dozens of pedestrians. After crashing the truck into people, the driver got out of it. He was 'wearing full body armour' and was armed with an assault rifle. He fired at police and struck two police officers, forcing the New Orleans Police to fire back. This caused major chaos in the area. People hid and ran as shots were being fired. 15 people have been reported to have died & 35 injured in the incident so far. The truck driver died on the spot too in the firing. Later, the USA FBI identified the truck driver as a 42-year-old man named Shamsud-Din Jabbar. Jabbar was a US citizen from Texas and an Army veteran. The FBI found a flag of the international terrorist group ISIS and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) in the truck he was driving. While investigating Bourbon Street, the FBI discovered & recovered several potential IEDs planted in the area. New Orleans City Council member Jean-Paul Morrell revealed that Jabbar was staying in an Airbnb before the attack. The truck he drove was rented from a vehicle rental website named Turo. Turo also confirmed that the truck used in the deadly attack was theirs. According to the reports, Jabbar had a LinkedIn account, but the FBI has now deleted it. However, as per his LinkedIn account, Jabbar had worked in various roles in the US Army, including its human resources and IT, before being discharged. He was even deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. A few hours before the attack, Jabbar uploaded videos on his social media with captions like "mere hours before the attack" suggesting that he was inspired by the Islamic State and expressing a "desire to kill". The FBI continue to suspect Jabbar to be an ISIS member. Further investigation is underway. The New Orleans Police said that most of the victims of the incident were locals despite the high number of tourists & visitors. The Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry called the incident “a horrific act of violence,” and offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims on X (Twitter). He also urged people to stay away from the attack site. New Orleans has postponed its famous annual American football college tournament, the Sugar Bowl. ISH expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased.
