New Orleans attack being investigated as an ‘act of terrorism’, FBI says
Ten people died and 30 were injured when a driver ran a truck through a crowd celebrating the New Year in a popular street in New Orleans.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said they were investigating an attack in New Orleans in which a man ploughed a car into a crowd early Wednesday morning as an “act of terrorism”.
A driver in a pickup truck who killed ten people and injured 30 more as he drove through a crowd in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, according to the police.
Reports say that after he ploughed his car through the crowd the suspect fired at police officers from his vehicle, injuring two of them.
The man was then killed by the police after a firefight, according to the FBI.
“He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said of the attacker.
Earlier today, New Orleans Mayor described the incident as a “terrorist” attack which was later contradicted by the FBI, who initially said during a press conference that the incident was “not a terrorist event”, although added officers were looking into a possible explosive device found at the scene.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning along Bourbon Street in New Orleans — a world famous destination for New Year’s Eve parties.
The area was particularly busy as crowds gathered to watch the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game at the nearby Superdome later in the day.
Officials have not yet provided more information on the suspect’s motives, aside from confirming they believed that the attack was an act of terrorism.
NOLA Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness department, said the injured had been taken to five local hospitals and a police officer was among them.
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By Tamsin Paternoster with AP
Source:euronews.com
