By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-01 18:36:40 | Updated at 2025-01-04 10:45:29
2 days ago
The terrorist who killed 10 people on New Year's Eve in Louisiana may have taken advantage of temporary construction works to commit the heinous crime.
The attacker, named as Texas-born Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, managed to plow an electric vehicle into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orleans during one of the most heavily-policed nights of the year.
Mechanical barricades which normally stop traffic from entering the street during pedestrian-only times are in the process of being replaced, per the city website, potentially leaving it vulnerable to such an attack.
A witness who was at the scene in the French Quarter on Tuesday night said the steel bollards were not raised in position at the time.
'Those barricades were not up, period,' New Orleans resident Jimmy Cothran told CNN. 'They had the flimsy orange ones that you could just push over with your finger. We actually thought it was kind of odd.'
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the suspect 'went around our barricades', suggesting there also may have been enough space between the temporary ones to plow a vehicle through.
The barricades were first installed in 2017 following the truck ramming attack in Nice, France, the previous year and several drunk driving incidents on Bourbon Street.
After plowing a white Ford SUV into the crowd on Tuesday night, the assailant exited the vehicle, pulled out a gun and opened fire, injuring two NOLA police officers who are in a stable condition. One officer shot the gunman dead.
Movable mechanical barricades (pictured in 2020) which normally stop traffic from entering the street during pedestrian-only times are in the process of being replaced, per the city website, potentially leaving it vulnerable to such an attack
Pictured: Map of Bourbon Street Bollard Assessment & Replacement Project from the New Orleans Department of Public Works
Ten people were killed and 30 more injured in the horrific attack, which unfolded around 3.15am local time in the busy Louisiana city.
The driver rammed into the crowd at a 'very fast pace' and was 'very intentional' with his attack, investigators have claimed, alleging that he was 'trying to run over as many people as he possibly could'.
The FBI also found 'improvised explosive devices' at the scene and are 'working on confirming if it’s a viable device or not'. The agency declined to confirm how many suspected devices they were investigating.
'We do know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack,' Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a press conference early Wednesday morning.
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick revealed there were more than 300 officers that were on duty at the time of the incident
She said the suspect 'went around our barricades' in order to carry out the attack, adding that 'he was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did'.
Kirkpatrick said that the incident was 'not a DUI situation' and was 'more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now'.
The attack has now been placed under the investigation on the FBI.
Witnesses claim the suspect was 'wearing full body armor' and 'armed with an assault rifle', according to reports on social media.
The New Orleans terrorist who killed 10 people on New Year's Eve may have taken advantage of temporary construction works to commit the heinous crime. Bollards which normally stop traffic from entering the street are under construction, according to the city website
At least 10 people are dead and 30 left injured after a driver rammed into the large group at high speed, then got out and started firing a weapon
Videos circulating on social media that appear to have been recorded at the scene shows multiple casualties on the ground as shots ring out in the background. People were also seen running from the area.
Dozens of police officers responded to the attack and a portion of the road was cordoned off.
Paramedics and vehicles from the coroner's office were also seen at the scene. Ambulances transported the wounded to five area hospitals.
A man, who claimed to witness the incident while out with his wife, wrote on X that he saw an SUV 'speeding' down the road and 'running people over'.
Another alleged witness told WLWT that she saw the vehicle strike the crowd and multiple officers open fire at the suspect. She says she started running and only escaped 'by the grace of god'.
Kevin Garcia, 22, said the car was 'slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk'. He heard gunshots ring out and claims a 'body came flying at me', CNN reported.
Whit Davis, a 22-year-old witness from Shreveport, Louisiana, said he was in a nightclub when the attack unfolded. He recalled how people 'started running and hiding under tables' in a scene that resembled 'an active shooter drill'.
Police then held him and a group of partygoers in the bar, Davis told BBC, noting that when they were finally allowed to leave the establishment that they 'were walking past dead and injured bodies all over the street'.
Bourbon Street, famous for its many bars and clubs, has reportedly been shut down while investigators work the scene. People are advised to stay away from the area.
Videos circulating on social media that appear to have been recorded at the scene shows multiple casualties on the ground as shots ring out in the background. People were also seen running from the area
The horror unfolded at around 3:15am local time Wednesday when the vehicle, which appeared to be a Ford SUV (pictured), plowed into the crowd
'The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street,' NOLA Ready, the the city's official disaster preparedness agency, said in a statement.
'There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS (New Orleans Emergency Medical Services) and 10 fatalities. Public safety partners are responding on scene. Updates will follow as they are received.'
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has condemned the 'horrific' attack and said he is 'praying for all the victims and first responders on scene'.
'A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,' Landry tweeted. 'Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.'
The incident came toward the end of New Year's celebrations in New Orleans and hours before the kickoff of the AllState Bowl, a college football quarterfinal held in the city's Caesars Superdome, with thousands expected to be in attendance.
New Orleans has seen shootings and cars colliding with crowds at past parades.
In November 2024, two people were killed and 10 others injured in two separate shootings along a New Orleans parade route and celebration attended by thousands, local media reported.
In February 2017, a pickup truck driven by a man who police said appeared to be highly intoxicated plowed into a crowd of spectators watching the main Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, injuring more than 20 people.
DailyMail.com has contacted New Orleans Police Department for more information.
