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Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, a Texas native, plowed a pickup truck through the crowd on Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m., four senior law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News. Jabbar, who was killed after a shootout with police, was reported to have a black flag affixed to the hitch of the pickup used during the incident, which officials are investigating to see if it is related to the terrorist group ISIS, two senior law enforcement sources confirmed to NBC News.
Officers are also looking into at least two improvised explosive devices suspected to have been planted near the scene of the incident to see if they were operable. The situation was described as a “mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street” by the City of New Orleans, which confirmed the casualty total, in a statement on its website.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” during a press conference, which the FBI later confirmed after initially saying it hadn’t yet been determined. New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver intended to kill as many people as possible during the incident.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation,” Kirkpatrick said via NBC News.
Local authorities asked the FBI for assistance during the ongoing investigation. A command center was being set up early Wednesday morning and the FBI told ABC News that it would lead the investigation.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said, adding that his family was praying for the victims and first responders, via ABC News.
Two officers were reportedly shot during the incident but listed to be in stable condition.
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