•The French Quarter, near Bourbon Street, is blocked off with a heavy police and FBI presence
The man who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans yesterday was a US citizen named Shamsud-Din Jabbar and was carrying the flag of international jihadist group Islamic State, the FBI said.
“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations,” the FBI said in a statement.
The suspect killed at least 10 and injured dozens before being shot in an exchange of gunfire with police, reports AFP.
Potential homemade bombs were found in his truck and around New Orleans’ French Quarter, the FBI said.
The suspect is believed to be a US army veteran, said FBI special agent Alethea Duncan at a press conference.
“What I can tell you is that the person was an army veteran, we believe he was honorably discharged but we are working through this process to figure out all this information,” Duncan stated.
US investigators also believe that the suspect may not have acted alone. “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” Duncan said.
