New Orleans truck attack suspect may not have acted alone; FBI sets up tip line
NEW ORLEANS - The FBI says the driver who plowed into a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day, killing 15 people, may not have acted alone.
The FBI says they are running down leads of any known associates of the suspect, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar of Texas.
MORE: New Orleans live updates: Driver plows into Bourbon Street crowd, killing 10
FBI sets up tip line following New Orleans truck attack
The FBI is asking for the public’s help with the investigation.
The agency would like to speak to anyone who interacted with Jabbar in the last 72 hours.
Anyone with information, videos or pictures is also asked to provide them to the FBI.
Call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online.
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What happened in New Orleans?
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 01: Members of the FBI and New Orleans Police work the scene on Bourbon Street after at least 10 people were killed when a person allegedly drove into a crowd in the early morning hours of New Years Day on January 1,
Fifteen people were killed and dozens more were injured when a man intentionally drove down Bourbon Street early New Year's morning, authorities say.
"He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.
According to Kirkpatrick, around 3:15 a.m., the man drove a pickup truck around the barricades blocking Bourbon Street and drove down the street at a fast pace, "trying to run over as many people as he possibly could."
Once the driver crashed, he opened fire on officers, Kirkpatrick said.
Two officers were struck and taken to the hospital in stable condition.
The FBI says officers returned fire, and the man died at the scene.
Who is Shamsud-Din Jabbar?
According to the FBI, Jabbar is a U.S.-born citizen from Texas and an Army veteran.
RELATED: New Orleans truck attack suspect identified as Houston resident, FOX News reports
According to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Jabbar is from the Houston area.
Patrick says Jabbar rented the pickup truck on Monday and had been driving the rented vehicle in Houston before heading to New Orleans.
RELATED: New Orleans attack: Truck with Texas license plates plowed into crowd on Bourbon Street
Driver's potential terrorist organization ties investigated
In a statement Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the FBI is investigating the incident as "an act of terrorism."
The FBI says an ISIS flag was on the trailer hitch of the pickup truck, and the agency is working to determine any possible associations with terrorist organizations.
The FBI says weapons and a potential improvised explosive device were found in the man's vehicle, and other potential IEDs were also found in the French Quarter. Technicians were working to determine if they were viable and render them safe.
The FBI is leading the investigation.
The Source: The information in this article is from the FBI, the New Orleans Police Department and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The updated death toll comes from the Associated Press.