Horrifying CCTV footage of New Orleans attack that killed 15 people as suspect is identified
At least 15 people were killed in New Orleans when a driver plowed his pick-up truck through a busy street in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Dozens more were injured in the horrific attack and now CCTV footage shows the horrifying moment the suspect, who has been identified as Texan Shamsud-Din Jabbar, drove his vehicle into a crowd in the Bourbon Street area.
Warning: This video contains scenes which some viewers may find distressing.
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The former US veteran, who served in Afghanistan, is believed to have had an ISIS flag located in the truck which he rented - while the FBI is investigating the attack as an 'act of terrorism'.
The agency does not believe the 42-year-old acted alone, adding that he may not be 'solely responsible'.
The twice-married Jabbar was killed during a gun fight with authorities.
The FBI released a statement yesterday (January 1), which read in part: "Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others.
"After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.
"The subject has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle."
It continued: "An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
"Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter.
"The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe.
"The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject."
Meanwhile, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick explained that Jabbar managed to access the sidewalk by driving around barricades and police vehicles.
"We had a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and he still got around," Kirkpatrick said, per CBS News.
A statement from President Joe Biden, in part, said: "I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury.
"I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind.
"I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share.
"In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities."
Joe Yates