At least 10 people are dead and more than 30 injured after a driver plowed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, United States early on Wednesday morning. The shocking attack has been termed as a ‘terror attack’ by some officials.
The driver of the truck, a male, reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and opened fire on police after hitting the crowd. The brief shootout ended with the suspect dead at the scene, authorities confirmed. Police say 35 people have been transported to five hospitals across the city after suffering injuries from the attack.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell declared the incident a “terrorist attack” in a Wednesday morning briefing, and FBI agents also confirmed that they are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
Police say two officers were injured in the attack, but both remain in stable condition. It is unclear whether they were injured by the vehicle or during the shootout.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did” and he tried “to run over as many people as he could.” Kirkpatrick said two police officers were shot after the driver emerged from the truck and are in stable condition.
Attorney General Merrick Garland addressed the attack in a statement Wednesday morning.
“The country woke up this morning to news of a terrible tragedy in New Orleans that killed at least 10 people and injured many more. My heart is broken for those who began their year by learning people they love were killed in this horrific attack, and my prayers are with the dozens who were injured, including the New Orleans Police Department Officers who risked their lives to save others,” Garland said.
“The FBI is investigating this matter as an act of terrorism. The FBI, the ATF, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and will deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation,” he added.
Meanwhile President-elect Trump called the Bourbon Street attack an “act of pure evil” in a statement on the incident Wednesday.
“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump said.
“The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”
The full details about the attacker, his name, his exact motivations and the full extent of the attack have yet to be made public. This is the second time in the past few weeks such an international incident has taken place. A few weeks back a certain Taleb A. drove into a Christmas market in Germany killing 3 and injuring dozens.
