Law enforcement is investigating after a driver plowed a truck into a crowd of people celebrating New Year’s in New Orleans.
The Bourbon Street attack on Wednesday at 4:15 a.m. EST left at least 10 people dead and injured dozens of others. Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) told ABC News the number of people killed has increased from 10 to 15, as of Wednesday afternoon.
According to a report by Fox News, a high-level local law enforcement source told the outlet that an ISIS flag was recovered from the suspect’s truck.
The attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations. Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter,” the FBI also said in a statement.
Per the statement, “After hitting the crowd, [the suspect] exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.”
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. The FBI said the pickup truck appears to have been a rental.
As Fox News reports, “Pro-ISIS media outlets had called on Muslims living in the U.S. and Europe to conduct attacks on New Year’s Eve. These calls to arms have been common in the last decade as terror groups wish to incite violent extremists to action during the holiday season.”
