The start of the New Year in New Orleans was marked by a grim scene when a driver plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street, leaving 10 people dead and over 30 injured. The grisly attack, which took place around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, threw the festive atmosphere into chaos and resulted in the postponement of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game. According to KVUE, the FBI is treating the incident as an act of terrorism and believes that the driver, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, did not act alone.
An Islamic State group flag was recovered from the vehicle's trailer hitch, and an arsenal of guns and pipe bombs hidden within coolers was found, all wired for remote detonation. The FBI's suspicions about additional conspirators are backed by surveillance footage showing three men and a woman placing at least one improvised explosive device in the area. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described the events by saying, "This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil," and indicated that Jabbar had circumvented pedestrian safety measures, according to a WTSP report.
The response to the tragedy has been one of shock and resilience among locals and visitors alike. Moments after the attack, the scene described by WTSP was one of horror, with bodies lying on the ground and an eerie silence enveloping the French Quarter. Meanwhile, the police were actively searching for additional bombs, even in garbage cans, as the city was trying to comprehend the morning's events.
Despite the terrifying scenario that unfolded, some semblance of normalcy persisted around the edges of the incident area, with some residents and tourists continuing their New Year's celebrations, a phenomenon captured in the observations shared by bystanders. "We looked out our front door and saw caution tape and dead silence and it's eerie," Tessa Cundiff told KVUE, revealing the stark contrast between the city's vibrant lifestyle and the tragedy that struck.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged caution and advised avoiding the French Quarter as investigations were ongoing, emphasizing a commitment to community safety. President Joe Biden, addressing the nation, expressed "anger and frustration" and extended his condolences to the victims and their families. "My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday," Biden said in a statement reported by WTSP.
If the attack's link to the Islamic State is verified, it will rank as one of the deadliest on U.S. soil in recent memory. This event underscores the warnings shared by FBI officials concerning an elevated threat of international terrorism. In the past year, authorities have thwarted several other IS-inspired plots, indicative of an ongoing and concerning trend of using vehicles as lethal weapons against crowds.
