New Orleans terror attack: FBI says suspect carried Islamic State flag, didn't act alone; death toll rises to at least 15

The new year started with a deadly terror attack in New Orleans when, investigators say, a driver intentionally struck and killed several pedestrians in the crowded French Quarter.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove around police barricades and onto a sidewalk, leaving at least 15 dead and 35 injured; he crashed and was killed in a shootout with three officers, according to the FBI.

“Those officers did not run in fear,” New Orleans police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said during a Wednesday news conference. “They did not run. They did kill the terrorist.”

Authorities called the incident an evil act of terrorism and don’t think Jabbar acted alone. Early Wednesday evening, FBI authorities in Houston, working with the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office, were “conducting law enforcement activity,” the agency said in a social media post. “This activity is related to this morning’s New Orleans attack.”

“This was a heinous, cowardly act,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said during the news conference. “And we will find them and we will bring them to justice.”

The incident launched a massive investigation and happened as thousands of University of Georgia fans were in town for the team’s Sugar Bowl game against Notre Dame. A UGA student was among those injured, the university confirmed Wednesday.

The playoff game was postponed from Wednesday evening to Thursday afternoon. It will kick off at 3 p.m. Central time.

The incident happened shortly after 3 a.m. while revelers were still celebrating the new year. Local and state police began the investigation before the FBI became the lead agency.

UGA President Jere W. Morehead said the student was critically injured and that he has spoken with the family.

“I am deeply saddened by the devastating attack in New Orleans overnight, and I extend my sincere condolences to the victims, their families and all those affected by this terrible tragedy,” Morehead said.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the FBI said Jabbar was a U.S. citizen from Texas who was carrying an Islamic State flag. Jabbar, an Army veteran, was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, the FBI said.

Address records showed Jabbar previously lived in Georgia. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree in computer information systems in 2017 from Georgia State University, officials confirmed.

“Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle,” the FBI said. “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.”

Jabbar was an Army veteran who deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010, a spokesman said.

Surveillance footage from the scene showed three men and a woman placing one of the explosive devices, The Associated Press reported. No details were released about the location of that device.

Before the sun came up, Kirkpatrick and other city leaders held a news conference with preliminary details.

“It did involve a man driving a pickup truck down Bourbon Street at a very fast pace, and it was very intentional behavior,” Kirkpatrick said. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”

The man exchanged gunfire with officers, striking two, police said. They were in stable condition and are expected to recover.

“This is not just an act of terrorism,” Kirkpatrick said. “This is evil.”

Those injured were taken to several local hospitals and their conditions were not released Wednesday afternoon, pending notification of family members. Kirkpatrick said the majority were local residents rather than tourists in town for the holiday or the Sugar Bowl.

Kirkpatrick said every officer in the department was called in to assist with the investigation, and that increased security measures were already in place.

Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in the FBI’s New Orleans office, said Wednesday afternoon there were few details she could release regarding the active investigation. Investigators are asking for the public’s help, and in particular want to speak with anyone who may have come in contact with Jabbar.

The French Quarter area remained closed during the investigation. Law enforcement agents have conducted sweeps throughout the area, and bomb-sniffing dogs were also clearing the Caesars Superdome.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., also spoke during the afternoon news conference, pledging to push federal investigators for answers.

“I wish I understood why bad things happen to good people,” he said. “If I make it to heaven, I’m gonna ask.”

Kennedy said he wants investigators to find those responsible.

“Catch these people,” he said. “Catch these people and then tell the American people the truth.”

Officials stressed that the city was safe and would be for the Sugar Bowl.

President Joe Biden was updated on the incident, investigators said.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called it a “horrific act of violence” in a social media post. He said he is issuing an executive order stating that the state’s flags will fly at half-staff Thursday.

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(Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writers Sara Gregory, Jozsef Papp, Ken Suguira and Greg Bluestein contributed to this article.)

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(Staff writer Greg Bluestein continued to this article.)