The FBI said Wednesday that the man who rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in the French Quarter of New Orleans likely did not act alone.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said at a news conference that officials are actively seeking any potential associates of the driver, whom the bureau identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
“It’s a range of suspects. Right now, we do not want to rule anything out,” she said. “That’s why we’re asking, if anyone has had any interaction with the deceased subject Jabbar in the last 72 hours, to provide us with this information.”
Rep. Troy Carter, Louisiana Democrat, sent a message to any possible suspects on the run at a press conference with fellow Louisiana officials Wednesday, “We will find you, and we will bring you to justice.”
Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, said that once the FBI has a chance to investigate the incident, they will be able to provide more information about the additional suspects.
“They will eventually, I promise you … working with state police, working with Homeland Security, working with the City of New Orleans, they’re going to tell you what happened,” he said. “I can promise you that, or I’m going to raise fresh hell. But right now, they’re in the process of trying to catch the other bad guys, and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt for a while.”
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The FBI confirmed that Jabbar, 42, is a U.S. citizen from Texas who drove the Ford F-150 pickup truck with an ISIS flag into a Bourbon Street crowd early Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens of others.
Authorities said he was carrying a Glock pistol and a rifle, and had a “potential” improvised explosive device in the truck. They said other potential IEDs had been located in New Orleans as well.
Jabbar leaped from his vehicle and began shooting at police, who returned fire and killed him. Two officers were wounded in the shootout.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.