The FBI has identified the driver of the truck that plowed into crowds celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 35 others.
The FBI said Shamsud Din Java, 42, a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, leased the F-150 Lightning truck. Alessia Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said the FBI does not believe he acted alone.
Law enforcement said in a statement: press release He said he had improvised explosive devices, body armor and an ISIS flag hanging from the back door, which were found in the truck and at two different locations in the French Quarter.
The FBI said it is investigating whether Java acted alone or if he had accomplices, and that Bourbon Street has been closed down and is now being treated as a crime scene.
Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl, the College Football Playoff semifinal between Georgia and Notre Dame, has been postponed until Thursday, Bowl Games said.
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Kickoff time is scheduled for 3pm
Caesar’s Superdome is located in the central business district, about 20 blocks from the crime scene. It is also where the first Super Bowl was held after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Jabbar drove up to a group of revelers at 3:17 a.m., got out of his truck and exchanged gunfire with New Orleans Police Department officers, wounding two of them and Jabbar dying from his injuries, police said.
Three officers exchanged gunfire with Java, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a news conference Wednesday.
Despite their injuries, the officers shot by Java were doing well, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a news briefing in New Orleans.
She also said there was a malfunction with some of the retractable bollards, devices that prevent vehicles from accessing streets like Bourbon Street when they are open only to pedestrians.
She also said the bollards will be repaired for the upcoming Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
The FBI is directing anyone with information for law enforcement to contact them, especially those who may have interacted with Jabbar in the past 72 hours. To the FBI tip website Or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
“If you see something, say it,” U.S. Representative Troy Carter said at a press conference. He also said that it was justified to postpone the game for safety reasons.
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said at a news briefing Wednesday that city and state officials were working around the clock to secure the city after receiving a call from Cantrell at 3:45 a.m.
“We have made public safety our top priority from day one,” Landry said. “We seek to transparently assess any deficiencies that may exist in the system and ensure that mistakes are corrected. The city will have the resources it needs to protect its citizens and guests. “We are conducting an active investigation and are working to strengthen security.”
The first-term Republican governor also issued a broader emergency declaration and said he would mobilize a military police force of 100 Guardsmen from the Louisiana National Guard to assist the New Orleans Police Department, FBI and other agencies in their investigation of the incident.
“We will bring them to justice,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said, adding that she would provide resources to the city and the FBI to help with the investigation.
Kirkpatrick said the city has a plan and “we’re going to bring these people in. “I’m very excited to have a great game tomorrow night.”
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.
