Man Who Drove Car Into New Orleans Crowd 'Hell Bent' On 'Carnage': Officials

The man who drove a vehicle onto a crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 and injuring 35 others early Wednesday morning, died after exchanging gunfire with police.

“Let me be very clear about this point: This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” Christopher Raia, a counterterrorism official with the FBI, said in a news conference Thursday.

The FBI identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas. Raia announced Thursday the FBI believes Jabbar acted alone.

“We do not assess that anyone else is involved in this attack,” Raia said. The agency previously said it was investigating if anyone had collaborated with Jabbar.

Raia also said there is “no definitive link” between what happened in New Orleans and an incident that took place in Las Vegas on Wednesday, when a man died in a Tesla Cybertruck explosion in front of Trump Tower.

A handgun and AR-style rifle were recovered from the scene in New Orleans, and an Islamic State group flag was recovered from the vehicle, a white Ford F-150 Lightning, the FBI said.

The FBI said the truck, which drove around a police blockade before speeding down Bourbon Street, was rented. CNN reported the owner of the truck listed it on Turo, an app that allows owners to rent out their own vehicles to others.

Raia said the FBI investigated and found two improvised explosive devices in coolers, which surveillance footage shows were placed by Jabbar.

On Wednesday night, President Joe Biden said the attacker had expressed on social media a “desire to kill” and had indicated that he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

The Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and Georgia, which tens of thousands are expected to attend at the Superdome, has been postponed until 3 p.m. CT Thursday, the Sugar Bowl Committee announced Wednesday. University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead said one of the school’s students was critically injured in the attack.

The incident happened about 3:15 a.m. CT, as New Year’s celebrations were winding down and hours before the Sugar Bowl.

Anne Kirkpatrick, the New Orleans superintendent of police, said the suspect “was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.” Kirkpatrick said the suspect drove “at a very fast pace” and fired at law enforcement officials after crashing his vehicle.

“It was very intentional behavior,” Kirkpatrick said Wednesday morning, noting it was “not a DUI situation.”

Two officers were shot and are in stable condition, Kirkpatrick said. Dozens were taken to several hospitals in the area after being injured by the vehicle. Video shared to social media shows bodies lying in the street. (A blurred version of that video can be seen at CNN, though some viewers still may find it disturbing.)

New Orleans resident Jimmy Cothran spoke with CNN about the “unimaginable” scene.

“The disfigurement and the bodies strewn ... it’s something you can’t unsee, you’ll never forget,” he said.

At a news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) called the incident a “terrorist attack,” and confirmed she had been in contact with the White House and Gov. Jeff Landry (R) about the investigation.

Biden was briefed on the incident and called Cantrell on Wednesday morning to offer “full federal support,” according to a White House pool report. In a statement Wednesday, Biden said he has requested “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.”

President-elect Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that his administration “will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!” He claimed comments he’s repeatedly made about “criminals coming in” to the United States “turned out to be true,” though officials at the time had not released any details about the identity of the suspect.

Officials, including Landry, encouraged people to avoid the area from Canal Street to St. Ann Street. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, officials stressed the area is still an active crime scene.

In light of the incident in New Orleans, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement that along with already planned increased security measures, additional personnel would be deployed during Wednesday’s Peach Bowl.

Ryan Grenoble contributed reporting.