A dramatic New Year. A former American soldier, “inspired” by the Islamic State group, rushed his car into a crowd celebrating the New Year, Wednesday January 1, in the French tourist district of New Orleans, in the south of the United States. He killed at least 15 people and injured around 30 before being killed by the police. An initial assessment was 10 dead and 30 injured. Follow our live stream.
The complex profile of the suspect. The 42-year-old suspect in the attack was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a “US national from Texas” born in the United States and former army soldier. “He was fiercely determined to cause carnage”said Wednesday the local police chief, Anne Kirkpatrickcalling the man “terrorist”. The man was shot and killed in a shootout with police. His brother Abdur Jabbar described him as “a love”specifying New York Times that he had converted to Islam at a young age, speaking “a form of radicalization”.
Its links with terrorist groups under study. US President Joe Biden stressed that the suspect had “published videos on social networks indicating that he was inspired by ISIS”while a flag of the terrorist group was found in the vehicle used in the attack. Investigators are working “to determine the individual's possible associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations” and claim to be looking for accomplices in the attack in Louisiana, without giving details.
A look at an explosion in Las Vegas. President Joe Biden said authorities were investigating whether there was “connexion” between the attack in New Orleans and the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in front of a Trump hotel in Las Vegas which left one dead. The vehicles involved in both incidents were rented through the ride-sharing app Turo.
