Thu Jan 02 16:59:17 UTC 2025: **New Orleans Car Ramming Kills 15, Sparks Investigation into Potential Military-Terror Link**
NEW ORLEANS, LA – A horrific car-ramming attack on New Year’s Day in New Orleans’ French Quarter left 15 dead and at least 30 injured, prompting a wide-ranging investigation into a possible connection to a separate incident in Las Vegas. The attack, which the FBI is investigating as a terrorist act, involved a pickup truck driven by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran and Texas resident, who died in a subsequent shootout with police. Jabbar’s truck, rented from Turo, was adorned with an ISIS flag.
Witnesses described a scene of carnage as the truck plowed through crowds on Bourbon Street. Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick stated the driver appeared intent on maximizing casualties. Concerns are being raised about the lack of pedestrian barriers at the time of the attack, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell citing ongoing construction.
Adding to the complexity, law enforcement sources are investigating a possible link between Jabbar and the individual who died when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day. Both suspects had prior military experience and both vehicles were rented from Turo. Authorities are searching a site in Texas connected to Jabbar, recovering potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs) both from the truck and the French Quarter.
The Las Vegas explosion led to heightened security at Trump towers in New York and Chicago. President Biden confirmed investigations into potential connections between the two incidents. While the investigation is ongoing, the Sugar Bowl college football game, initially postponed, is scheduled to proceed as planned. The FBI is urging anyone with information to come forward.
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