New Orleans Attack Leaves 15 Dead

Driver displaying Islamic State flag plows into crowd; accomplices eyed

- Sadie Gurman, Joseph Pisani, Rachel Wolfe, Nancy A. Youssef and Laine Higgins

A man in a pickup truck flying an Islamic State flag plowed into a large crowd in New Orleans's French Quarter early New Year's Day, killing 15 people and injuring more than 30 in what authorities called a terrorist attack.

Two police officers also were injured in a shootout with the suspect, a U.S. Army veteran, who was killed in the exchange of fire.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified him as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Texas. The flag was attached to the trailer hitch of the rented Ford pickup, in which investigators found weapons and a potential explosive device. Investigators were working to learn more about the driver's potential ties to terrorist organizations.

"We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible," said Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans office. "We're aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates." Hours before the attack, the killer posted videos on social media indicating he was inspired by Islamic State, President Biden said after being briefed on the probe. He added that the investigation is at a preliminary stage, and the FBI will determine "what happened, why it happened and whether there is any continuing threat to public safety." Biden also said law-enforcement agencies are investigating the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck that killed one person on Wednesday outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, "including whether there's any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans." He said there was nothing to report so far.