(BBC News) Ten people were killed and at least 35 injured after a man drove into large crowds in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Here’s what we know so far about what happened and the perpetrator.
At 03:15 local time on New Year’s Day, a Ford pick-up truck rammed into crowds on Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter.
CCTV footage shows a white Ford F-150 Lightning vehicle driving onto the pavement to get around a police car before hitting pedestrians.
Police described the act as “very intentional”, adding that the attacker — identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar — was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could,” said New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
Jabbar was also armed and fired on law enforcement, injuring two officers. He was then killed by police gunfire.
The FBI has named the assailant as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army veteran and US citizen from Texas.
A flag associated with the Islamic State group was found in the vehicle he was driving. The FBI said it was investigating what affiliations Jabbar may have had with terrorist groups.
The agency also said investigators did not believe that the suspect was solely responsible for the attack. Suspected improvised explosive devices were found in the area.
A long gun with a “suppressive device” on it —acting as a silencer — was also recovered.
According to a now-removed LinkedIn profile, Jabbar had worked in various roles in the US Army, including in human resources and IT, before he was discharged.
He studied at George State University from 2015 to 2017, graduating with a degree in Computer Information Systems.
He appears to have worked in real estate, holding a license that expired in 2021. He had a criminal record, relating to traffic offences and theft.
The pick-up truck he was driving was electric and believed to have been rented in Texas via an app.
