Attack in New Orleans | Terror on Bourbon Street

The author of the van-ram attack that paralyzed New Orleans reportedly released a video indicating that he was inspired by the Islamic State armed group. In addition to causing 15 deaths and around thirty injuries in his vehicle, explosive devices were found in the French Quarter, according to the FBI. A tragedy that sends chills down the spines of Louisiana residents.

According to information from the FBI, the event constitutes a potential terrorist attack. “Two IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were found and neutralized,” it was specified during the day. And the author would not have acted alone. Three men and a woman were seen on surveillance footage planting one of multiple improvised devices, according to Louisiana State Police.

Terrified, shocked and afraid: the feeling is unanimous among the residents of the region contacted The Press after the events. “It’s horrible,” said Quebecer Nicolas Tétrault, who has been living in New Orleans for a little over a month, where his son is hospitalized. “I learned (the news) because we received phone calls at home from Quebec, asking us if we were okay, if we were safe. We live maybe two kilometers from the city center,” he explained.

On this morning of New Year’s Day, security was increased at the Ochsner Medical Center, where his son is being treated, since it is one of the five hospitals that received victims of the tragedy, reported the staff interviewed on site.

At the intersection of the legendary Canal Street and Bourbon Street, thousands of revelers took part in the celebrations of the transition to 2025 without suspecting that they would be abruptly stopped by a violent attack which left at least 15 dead and 35 injured.

Around 3:15 a.m., a man driving a Ford F-150 drove into the crowd in the Vieux Carré trying to “run over as many people as he could,” said the superintendent of the La Police Department. New Orleans, Anne Kirkpatrick, in the morning.

Inside the vehicle: a flag of the Islamic State armed group, firearms and homemade bombs.

Among the victims: an 18-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming a nurse, a mother, a father of two and a former Princeton University football star.

Hours later, the explosion of a Cybertruck electric truck outside a Donald Trump hotel in Las Vegas killed one person and injured at least seven others. It was still too early to know if a link exists between the two events, President Joe Biden said early in the evening.

The same rental company, Turo, was used to rent the vehicles used in both events. “We are actively collaborating with law enforcement in their investigation into the two incidents,” the company said in a statement sent to several American media in the evening.

The drama in New Orleans occurred at the dawn of one of the most important events in American college football at this time of year, the Sugar Bowl, which traditionally takes place at the Superdome.

The match, which was scheduled to take place Wednesday evening, was finally postponed to the same time this Thursday, confirmed Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley. “I will be there,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry when asked about the security of the premises. The Superdome is located a few kilometers from the scene of the attack.

“I hope it won’t have too big an impact on tourism,” said Marie-Claude Bélanger, a former resident of New Orleans, who now lives a little more than two hours away, south of Lafayette.

The event comes a few weeks before the start of Mardi Gras festivities, which brings together hundreds of thousands of people across Louisiana, particularly on Bourbon Street, and which attracts tourists from all over the world.

“It gives you chills,” reacted Arnaud Leclercq, who lives near Lafayette. A few years ago, the Belgian teacher recalled leaving crowded Bourbon Street early during New Year’s festivities, for fear of attending such an event. “I admit that now, it will be in the back of my mind,” he admitted. One of his friends, with whom he was spending the New Year, said he probably wasn’t going to return to the French Quarter to celebrate Mardi Gras.

An army veteran

The alleged perpetrator of the attack is Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a 42-year-old American national from Texas. The man died in the exchange of fire with police officers, two of whom were injured, federal police said. According to the FBI, he was a veteran of the Army, where he worked as an information technology specialist.

Which did not prevent President-elect Donald Trump from making a link between the tragedy and the millions of illegal immigrants on American soil. “The criminals who are arriving are much worse than the criminals we have in our country,” he wrote on his social network, Truth Social, although the alleged perpetrator of the attack was born in the United States.

According to city documents, barriers intended to prevent these types of attacks along Bourbon Street were being replaced as part of a redevelopment project in the city that began in November.

On the day of the tragedy, the City of New Orleans and local community groups, including Unchained Realities, offered people who wish to return their firearms the opportunity to give it to them in exchange… for a PlayStation game console. In August, the state of Louisiana enacted a law allowing most people 18 or older to carry concealed weapons without a license.

On December 19, a similar attack occurred in Magdeburg, Germany, when an “Islamophobic” Saudi doctor with mental illness mowed down a crowd at a Christmas market. The event left 5 dead and more than 200 injured.

What is the Sugar Bowl?

The Sugar Bowl is a college football game that has been held in Louisiana since 1935. For many years, the quarterfinal game of the NCAA tournament has been held at the 70,000-seat New Orleans Superdome. This year, the University of Georgia Bulldogs will face the Fighting Irish from the University of Notre Dame, in the game which has been postponed to this Thursday.

How important is the French Quarter and Bourbon Street?

The French Quarter, or Vieux Carré, is the historic heart of New Orleans. In addition to its remarkable architecture and rich culture, it is also known for its sense of celebration, as it is the scene of some of the biggest celebrations in the United States, such as New Year’s festivities or those of the Shrove Tuesday. On Bourbon Street, which runs along the French Quarter, millions of people gather there every year, in addition to tourists from all over the world who go there.

With the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and The New York Times