New Orleans is trying to move forward after a horrific tragedy rocked its famous Bourbon Street. Investigators are still piecing together the background of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers, killing 15 people.
The FBI has classified the attack as an act of terrorism, saying Jabbar appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group. Authorities discovered an ISIS flag in his truck, and President Joe Biden confirmed that Jabbar posted videos to social media just hours before the attack, expressing his allegiance to the militant group and his intent to kill.
Jabbar was shot and killed by police at the scene. Investigators believe he didn’t act alone, especially after they found guns and what looked like an improvised explosive device in his vehicle, along with other explosives scattered throughout the French Quarter. FBI agents served search warrants and spent hours combing through a Houston-area home linked to the investigation. But as of Thursday morning, no other arrests had been announced, leaving many wondering if authorities were still on the hunt for more suspects.
The attack turned Bourbon Street’s usual party atmosphere into a nightmare. People fled into bars and restaurants to escape the chaos, while others tried to help the injured. In addition to the 15 lives lost, dozens more were wounded. The scene left the city shaken.
Authorities finished processing the crime scene early Thursday morning, removing the last of the bodies, and planned to reopen Bourbon Street later in the day. The Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia, which had been postponed by a day due to security concerns, was still set to take place Thursday night. And despite the tragedy, the city remained committed to hosting the Super Bowl next month.
Federal investigators are still digging into Jabbar’s potential ties to terrorist organizations as they try to unravel the details of what has been called the deadliest ISIS-inspired attack on U.S. soil in recent years. Local officials, meanwhile, are under pressure to review security measures leading up to the attack, especially since it involved a vehicle being used as a weapon—a tactic that has been seen in other recent attacks.
Authorities revealed that Jabbar had managed to steer his rented pickup truck around a police barricade designed to block traffic from the pedestrian-heavy area. Frustratingly, a more advanced barrier system meant to prevent vehicle attacks had been under repair ahead of the Super Bowl, leaving the area vulnerable. Now, the city faces tough questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy.
