USA Ten dead after suspected act of terrorism in New Orleans
A man has driven a car into a crowd of people in the center of the US southern metropolis of New Orleans - killing at least ten people and injuring more than 30 others. This was announced by the US city in the state of Louisiana.
01.01.2025, 16:20
SDA
According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the perpetrator is dead. There had been an exchange of gunfire between him and emergency services - the man has since died, the agency said in a statement. The FBI considers the act to be an "act of terrorism".
The police had previously spoken of "very deliberate behavior" on the part of the driver. "He was trying to run over as many people as possible," said New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick in a press conference.
The incident took place on the corner of the two main streets of the French Quarter - Canal and Bourbon Street - in the early hours of New Year's Day (local time). This part of the city is a popular and lively nightlife district on New Year's Eve. Emergency services responded to an "incident with many victims", according to the city.
Mayor speaks of terror
The mayor of the city, LaToya Cantrell, had already spoken of a "terrorist attack" in an initial statement, an assessment that the FBI investigator responsible, Alethea Duncan, had initially contradicted.
She was in contact with the White House and the governor of Louisiana, Cantrell continued. US President Joe Biden has been informed about the incident and is in contact with local investigators, the White House announced.
The US broadcaster CBS News reported that, according to eyewitnesses, it was a large pick-up truck that drove into the crowd at high speed on Bourbon Street. The driver then allegedly got out and fired a gun. No information has yet been released on the identity of the driver.
Large-scale operation in popular nightlife district
The perpetrator is also said to have shot at two police officers during his journey. Both are in hospital and in a "stable condition", said police chief Kirkpatrick. According to police reports, the number of injured has now risen to 35, most of whom, according to initial investigations, are people from New Orleans, few of whom are tourists, Kirkpatrick added.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry called what happened at News Service X a "horrific act of violence". "Please join Sharon and me in praying for all the victims and first responders on the scene," he wrote, referring to his wife Sharon - and called on people to avoid the area where the crime took place.
Emergency services were on the scene with a massive contingent. According to a reporter from WWLTV, the police had restaurants and bars on Bourbon Street evacuated and cordoned off the street.
