A man determined to cause carnage for the New Year in New Orleans, in the south of the United States, rushed his ram vehicle into the crowd on Wednesday, killing at least ten people and injuring 35.
The alleged perpetrator, who fled after exchanges of fire in which two police officers were injured, died, said the FBI, which is treating the attack as a “terrorist act”.
An FBI official told the press that the authorities had found a possible homemade explosive device on site, which we do not know if it was in working order.
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Around 3:15 a.m. (09:15 a.m. GMT), the driver of a pick-up drove into the crowd strolling in the “Vieux Carré”, trying to “crush as many people as he could”, told the press. a local police chief, Anne Kirkpatrick. The “French Quarter”, which has the appearance of a small French colonial town, is renowned for its restaurants, bars and jazz clubs.
Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana, denounced “an act of atrocious violence” and announced that the families of the victims could go to a medical center designated as a rallying point to be informed as quickly as possible.
New Orleans is one of the most visited destinations in the United States. The attack occurred shortly before the city hosted a major American football game, the Sugar Bowl, between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame teams.
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The city’s police department had announced “full strength, aided by 300 additional officers from partner law enforcement agencies”, including on horseback or patrolling in unmarked units.
On December 20 in Magdeburg (Germany), a Saudi doctor who arrived in the country in 2006, mowed down the crowd gathered in a Christmas market aboard a powerful BMW vehicle at full speed, killing five people and injuring more than 200 people. .
Challenge (With AFP)
