New Orleans NYE Truck Attack: A Timeline of Events and Latest Developments

A tragic attack unfolded on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, leaving at least 14 people dead after a truck plowed into a crowd of revelers. The driver, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US Army veteran, was shot and killed by police at the scene.

The Attack and Suspect

The incident occurred around 3 a.m. local time on Bourbon Street in the heart of the French Quarter. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and carnage, with people screaming as the truck sped through the throngs of New Year’s revelers.

“There were people everywhere,” Kimberly Strickland, a witness from Mobile, Alabama, recounted. “You just heard this squeal and the rev of the engine and this huge loud impact and then the people screaming and debris – just metal – the sound of crunching metal and bodies.”

Two police officers were also injured in the attack, shot by Jabbar while he was firing at officers.

The FBI has confirmed that Jabbar acted alone but had pledged allegiance to ISIS and posted videos on Facebook in the hours leading up to the attack expressing his support for the group. He provided a final will and testament in these videos, stating he had joined ISIS before last summer.

Jabbar, a Texas native who served in Afghanistan during his time in the Army, had traveled from Houston to New Orleans to carry out the attack.

Investigations and Aftermath

FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned the attack, calling it “premeditated and an evil act.” He emphasized that there is currently no evidence of a link between this attack and another incident that occurred on the same day in Las Vegas involving a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives outside the Trump International Hotel.

An IS flag was found on the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle used in the attack.

US President Joe Biden labeled the incident “despicable”, expressing his condolences for the victims and their families, and pledging full support to the FBI investigation.

The Sugar Bowl college football game, originally scheduled for January 1st, was moved to later that afternoon. The city of New Orleans, slated to host the Super Bowl next month, will continue with the planned events.

Security has been heightened in several major cities across the US, including Trump Tower and Times Square, as a precautionary measure.

Wider Context and Concerns

The New Orleans attack follows a pattern of lone-wolf attacks inspired by extremist ideologies. While ISIS’s territorial control has been severely diminished, the group continues to inspire and recruit online, demonstrating the ongoing threat of radicalization and its devastating consequences. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of public spaces to such attacks and the need for continued vigilance by law enforcement and communities alike.