The suspect in the New Orleans attack that killed 15 people on New Year’s Day did not act alone, US investigators believe.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen, is believed to have driven a pick-up truck into a crowd on a busy New Orleans street, before exiting the vehicle and firing a weapon. He was shot dead by police at the scene.
The FBI says an Islamic State (IS) group flag was found inside the vehicle he was driving, while two improvised explosive devices were found nearby.
FBI assistant special agent Alethea Duncan said the agency did not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” and were investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism”.
President Joe Biden said investigators were looking into whether the two incidents were linked, but “thus far, there is nothing to report”.
The FBI also said it was investigating whether the Las Vegas incident might be an act of terrorism, but has not confirmed the identity of the driver. Authorities said that they had so far found no evidence that this incident was related to IS.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill told a news conference on Wednesday that police were considering whether it may be related to President-elect Donald Trump, who owns the hotel, or Elon Musk, who owns Tesla.
FBI assistant special agent Alethea Duncan said the agency did not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the New Orleans attack and was investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism”.
New Orleans Coroner Dr Dwight McKenna confirmed by the evening that the death toll had risen to 15.
He said it would take several days to perform all of the post-mortem examinations, after which the identities of the victims would be formally released.
More on the New Orleans attack
Among those killed was former Princeton University football star Martin “Tiger” Bech, according to the college’s athletics department.
“There was no more appropriate nickname of a Princeton player I coached,” Bob Surace, head football coach, said in a statement.
“He was a ‘Tiger’ in every way – a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”
Dozens of others were injured during the attack, which took place in New Orleans’ French Quarter – a bustling nightspot popular with locals and tourists – at around 03:15 (08:15 GMT).
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could”, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said.
A long gun with a “suppressive device” on it – acting as a silencer – was also recovered from the scene, and the pick-up truck he was driving is believed to have been rented in Texas via an app.
Jabbar was born in Texas and previously served in the US Army.
According to a now-removed LinkedIn profile, he had worked in various roles in the US Army, including in human resources and IT, before he was discharged.
He studied at George State University from 2015 to 2017, graduating with a degree in computer information systems.
He also appears to have worked in real estate, holding a license that expired in 2021. He had a criminal record, relating to traffic offences and theft.
Witnesses who had been in New Orleans’ French Quarter for new year celebrations have spoken of the carnage they witnessed.
Whit Davis, from Shreveport, Louisiana, was in a bar with friends on Bourbon Street when the attack took place.
“People started running and getting under tables like it was an active shooter drill,” he told the BBC. “…Everyone was just completely in shock,.”
Jim and Nicole Mowrer, who were visiting New Orleans from Iowa, told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that they witnessed the truck drive through a barricade at speed then heard gunshots and crashing noises.
They tried to help people they thought were wounded but realised the victims had died.
A hotel worker told CBS he had been closing down for the evening when he looked out the window and noticed “there was a lot of bodies lying on the ground”.
“The truck was speeding away. I immediately ran downstairs to see if there were some people I can help out and unfortunately some people did perish during that event.”
“The scene was just horrific,” he added.
US President Joe Biden said his reaction to the attack was one of “anger and frustration”.
The White House said Mr Biden had called the city’s mayor this morning to offer “full federal support”.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said in a post on X that he was “praying for all the victims and first responders on scene”.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Landry wrote.
The Sugar Bowl, a much-anticipated college football match between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia, has been postponed until Thursday as a result of the attack.
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