UPDATE: The death toll from Wednesday's attack in the French Quarter is now 15, the FBI says.
Earlier Wednesday, we reported that the FBI has formally identified the man who killed 10 and injured another 35 before dying in a shoot-out with police in the French Quarter early on New Year's Day. However - they also say they do not believe he was acting alone.
AP reports that they've reviewed surveillance footage showing three men and a woman placing one of mulitple improvised explosive devices around the quarter, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press.
The FBI has identified the man as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran and an American-born U.S. citizen from Texas. They say he had an Isis flag and IEDs in his rented pick-up truck, and that they found other possible explosive devices in the quarter.
At a 1 p.m. press conference, Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said investigators so far have found two IEDs in the quarter and rendered them safe. They're looking for more.
Duncan also said they do not believe that Jabbar was acting alone, and they've issued a fervent call for the public to provide any information they might have.
They're asking anyone who might have had contact with Jabbar over the past 72 hours to contact the FBI. If anyone knows anything about him or is contacts, associations or affiliations, they're asked to call the FBI and share their information. Anyone with photos or videos are also asked to help. You can submit info via the digital tipline: www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Here's the video of the presser:
Here's the full FBI release from earlier in the day:
Today, at approximately 3:15am CST an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others. After hitting the crowd, he 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 subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle.
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’s Special Agent Bomb Technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable and they will work to render those devices safe.
The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.
We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject.
The FBI has set up a digital tip line and we ask anyone with information or video of the incident to submit them to www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
ABC13 in Houston has reported that the truck used in the attack was rented in Houston.
Earlier this morning, they issued this statement:
"This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism."
The New Orleans Police Department provided more details, saying the crash happened at the intersectino of Bourbon and Canal around 3:15 a.m. New Year's Day. Ten people were pronounced dead at the scene and another 35, at least, were injured, police said. When the vehicle crashed, the driver got out and started shooting at officers who were responding to the scene. He was killed in the exchange, and two officers were wounded; they're now listed in stable condition.
Here's some of WGNO's live coverage of the New Orleans press conference on the incident:
Here's the full release from New Orleans Police:
The NOPD responded to a fatal traffic crash that occurred during the early hours today (January 1, 2025) at the intersection of Bourbon and Canal streets that has resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, including the suspected perpetrator.
At about 3:17 a.m., multiple law enforcement officers responded to a report of a vehicle having driven into a crowd of pedestrians on Bourbon Street. Multiple people were reportedly struck before the vehicle crashed.
Upon further investigation, a total of 10 victims were declared to be deceased on scene. At this time, approximately 35 additional victims were determined to have suffered injuries in relation to this incident. Those injured were transported to multiple local and area hospitals via EMS for treatment. No updates are currently available on these victims’ conditions.
After the vehicle came to a stop, the suspect reportedly opened fire on responding officers, who returned fire. The victim was struck and subsequently declared deceased on scene. Further information on the suspect is not currently available for release.
Two NOPD officers were struck and injured in the exchange. Both were transported via EMS to a local hospital and were last listed in stable condition.
Investigation into this incident is ongoing. No further details are currently available. The next media briefing is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. CST to provide updates.
The public is urged to avoid Bourbon Street north from Canal to Dumaine Streets and also east to Royal Street to west to Dauphine Street until further notice as this investigation is ongoing.
Anyone looking to connect with family or loved ones believed to have been in the area of this incident is urged to call 311 and not to call 911.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations will be the lead agency on this investigation. Anyone with information that can assist is urged to contact the FBI’s New Orleans Bureau by calling (504) 816-3000 or by emailing tips@fbi.gov.
To read our first story on this incident, click here.
