A vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans famous Bourbon Street as the New Year’s celebrations were underway overnight yesterday, killing at least 15 people are dead and leaving 35 injured. The FBI says it believes the suspect who drove through a crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans at 3:15 local time yesterday morning was not acting alone and is asking for the public’s help.
FBI spokesperson Alethea Duncan said at a news conference the suspect has been identified and he was a U.S-born citizen and Army veteran from Texas. An ISIS flag was found on the trailer hitch of the pickup truck that he used to plow through the crowd. She said weapons and IEDs were located in the vehicle. They were in coolers and wired for remote detonation.
The agency is calling this an act of terrorism. Duncan said that after the man drove through the crowd, he exchanged fire with two police officers. They returned fire and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Two officers were injured and taken to local hospitals.
Authorities say three men and one woman were seen on video placing an explosive in the city’s French Quarter. There are reports that they are not being suspects. The FBI was in the area of North Houston, Texas yesterday as part of the investigation.