FBI probes potential accomplices in New Orleans truck ramming

by Michael Mathes

New Orleans, United States — Investigators homed in Thursday on whether a US army veteran had accomplices when he killed at least 15 people by plowing a pickup truck -- carrying an Islamic State flag -- into a dense New Year's party crowd in New Orleans.

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas and Army veteran. He rammed a rented Ford F-150 electric truck into a crowd in New Orleans' iconic party district in the early hours of 1 January, then was shot dead by police after a brief exchange of gunfire.

The key question now is whether anyone was helping Jabbar, who authorities said had been inspired by Islamic State videos, and carried the jihadist group's black flag on the pickup.

The FBI said it was conducting search warrants in New Orleans and other states.

However, New Orleans police dampened speculation on a wider group of attackers Thursday.

"At this time, I would not use the word accomplice. There are some people of interest that ... the FBI wants to screen as to whether or not they were associated or not," Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters.

"It may be that this is a lone wolf," she said.

President Joe Biden said law enforcement agencies are also probing any possible links between the New Orleans attack and an explosion later on Wednesday of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a hotel owned by US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas.

One person was killed and seven were injured in the incident.

Cleanup on Bourbon Street

In New Orleans' French Quarter, cleaners continued to clear the debris from the horrific attack, which also left more than 30 injured. Bourbon Street, at the heart of the area's famous nightlife and jazz establishments, remained closed to the public.

After a 24-hour delay due to the violence, the city was gearing up to stage the major Sugar Bowl college football game in the Superdome later Thursday. The stadium will also host the NFL's Super Bowl championship game in February.

"We believe we can absolutely provide a safe and wonderful environment today, and hold the Super Bowl and all of our activities," Kirkpatrick said.

Trump rant

The terrifying incident came three weeks before Trump takes over from Biden as president.

The Republican has used the mayhem to push his anti-immigrant agenda, despite the alleged killer being a US-born citizen.

Overnight, Trump again took to social media to link the attack to "OPEN BORDERS."

In a lengthy rant, he berated law enforcement bodies for "attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM."

Claiming "the USA is breaking down," Trump said, without giving details: "the CIA must get involved."

Carnage

Police say Jabbar drove at high speed into the crowd, intent on causing maximum casualties.

"There were bodies and blood and all the trash," bystander Zion Parsons told CNN. "People were terrified, running, screaming."

"It was just scary, I cried my eyes out, honestly," tourist Ethan Ayersman, 20, told AFP.

He was among the masses visiting the colorful southern US city for New Year's celebrations and said he had enjoyed Bourbon Street into the early hours.

But Ayersman said his brother woke him up after hearing gunshots and a car speeding.

From the window of their nearby rental, they could see "some of the bodies that were being lined up," Ayersman said.

Among the dead, Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, graduated from high school last year and set to begin a nursing program this month, US media reported.

The New York Times identified Tiger Bech, a former football player at Princeton University, also among those killed.

Links to Vegas?

The Pentagon said Jabbar served in the Army as a human resources specialist and an IT specialist from 2007 to 2015, and then in the army reserve until 2020. 

He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 until January 2010, an army spokesperson said.

Biden said that "thus far, there's nothing" linking the New Orleans attack with the Las Vegas explosion, which police described as an "isolated" incident.

However, authorities continued to probe the possibility.

The Las Vegas blast killed the person inside the space-age looking truck built by Trump ally Elon Musk's electric car company.

US media quoted law enforcement sources as saying the person who rented the Telsa truck is a current US Army special forces member.

In another echo of the New Orleans incident, the vehicles in both cases had been rented through the car-sharing app Turo.