10 dead as New Orleans man rams truck into New Year revellers

Police identify attacker as 42-year-old Man from Texas

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NEW ORLEANS, US:

A US citizen with an Islamic State flag and "hellbent" on carnage slammed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year revelers in New Orleans on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 35, officials said.

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old "US citizen from Texas."

"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," the FBI said in a statement.

The suspect was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with police. Potential homemade bombs were found in his truck and around the Louisiana city's famed French Quarter, the FBI said.

Local police said the incident took place at around 3:15 am (0915 GMT) in the heart of the French Quarter, which was packed with people celebrating the start of 2025.

"This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could," Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters.

Driving at "very high speed" and in a "very intentional" manner, "he was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," Kirkpatrick said. He wounded two officers in the subsequent shootout but they were listed in stable condition.

The vehicle used was a white Ford F-150 electric pick-up, an AFP correspondent on the scene said.

The New Orleans attack came 10 days after a similar car-ramming assault at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg that killed five and wounded more than 200. In that case, police arrested a Saudi man and said he appeared to be mentally disturbed.

President Joe Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell "to offer full federal support following the horrific news," the White House said.

"There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities," Biden said in a statement.

President-elect Donald Trump immediately linked the attack to illegal immigration, giving no evidence and before authorities made clear the suspect was American.

"When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in the country... it turned out to be true," Trump posted on social media.

Trump also claimed that the nation's crime rate "is at a level that nobody has ever seen." In fact, violent crime is sharply down across the country, according to the FBI.

In the wee hours of the year's first day, the area would have been packed with revelers celebrating in the French Quarter, a district renowned for its bars, restaurants and jazz history.

A white truck crashed through a barricade "at a very high rate of speed," witness Jim Mowrer told CBS News.

"We were in the middle of the road and managed to run off the road onto the sidewalk and into the doorway of a building for cover. We did hear gunfire, saw police running," he said.

"Once the gunfire stopped, we stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of—several people who had been hit, (we) wanted to see what we could do to help," he said.

"People we came across were unfortunately deceased."

New Orleans is one of the most heavily visited destinations in the United States and the incident came shortly before the city hosts the Sugar Bowl, a major college football game featuring teams from the University of Georgia and Notre Dame.

It was not clear whether the game would go ahead or be postponed, but Kirkpatrick said "we are going to make sure that our routes and the Superdome are safe."

Policing had already been heavy over the New Year's holiday, according to the city, as authorities braced for big crowds.

The city police department had announced staffing at "100 percent, with an additional 300 officers assisting from partner law enforcement agencies," including on horseback and using unmarked units.

The iconic French Quarter listed special deals for New Year's, including LGBTQ parties and a drag cabaret near where the incident took place.