January 2, 2025: New Orleans attack news

This week’s deadly incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas have thrust Turo, a car rental platform, into the spotlight, after vehicles used in both attacks were rented through its marketplace.

Turo calls itself a “peer-to-peer car sharing service,” meaning users can rent cars through the app directly from their owners, as opposed to traditional rental companies like Hertz and Avis, which own the rental fleets themselves directly.

The attacks could be a major black eye for Turo, which has been angling for what could be a lucrative initial public offering. The company previously acknowledged the risk of financial and brand damage from fatalities and other incidents that could be caused by vehicles rented on its platform.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company confirmed with a “heavy heart” that vehicles rented on the platform were involved in the two attacks.

Here’s what we know about the company and what the attacks could mean for its business.

The company doesn’t own any rental cars itself. Instead, Turo lets car owners list their vehicles for rent by other people, and the company takes a commission from each deal. That means that unlike traditional rental car companies, Turo doesn’t need to shell out to purchase and maintain a fleet of cars. And it often doesn’t face similar regulations and consumer protections of a traditional car rental company, nor do the people renting out those cars through Turo.

While there are some owners who rent out cars they otherwise would be driving themselves, many of the people renting out vehicles on the platform own vehicles with the intention of renting them out. Renters need a driver’s license, validated through the app, and must be 18 years old in the US, but they do not need personal car insurance, similar to traditional rental companies.

Read more about the company.

Georgia band members stand on the field during a moment of silence before the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff against Notre Dame, Thursday, January 2, in New Orleans.

A moment of silence honoring the victims of the New Orleans attack was held before the start of the Sugar Bowl, the final game of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals being held at Caesars Superdome.

The National Anthem followed the moment of silence.

President Joe Biden arrives on the South Lawn of the White House as he returns to Washington, DC, from Camp David, on Thursday, January 2.

President Joe Biden said Thursday there’s “no information that anyone else was involved” in the New Orleans terrorist attack nor evidence of its connection to the Las Vegas truck explosion.

Investigators “are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contacts and connections that could possibly be relevant to the attack,” he added.

The Justice Department has charged alleged ISIS sympathizers in the US at least three times since last fall.

Federal court filings highlight how often in recent months authorities have detained the defendants before they say any attack could have been carried out — even as the New Orleans massacre shows the difficulty of disrupting such attacks.

In the last decade, more than 250 people have been charged in US courts with ISIS-related activities, according to data collected by National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center. Federal authorities have made about a dozen such arrests a year in recent years, according to Seamus Hughes, a NCITE terrorism researcher at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Many are charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, though defense attorneys sometimes argue their actions are free speech and didn’t result in violence.

The case of Anas Said, one alleged ISIS sympathizer, offers a particular window into how federal authorities have tracked and built similar cases in recent months. Though Said was from the same area where the suspect in the New Year’s Day attack said he was based in 2020, the two men currently have no known connections.

The FBI interviewed the Lebanese American man multiple times after they said he began purchasing pro-ISIS stickers in 2017, and Facebook’s parent company alerted investigators last year to alleged posts by Said supporting ISIS and violence. Prosecutors also allege he created ISIS propaganda for followers on group chats, wanting to attack military recruiting stations near his home, and researched a Jewish organization in Houston that supported Israel in its current war.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS between 2017 and fall 2024 and is being held as he awaits a trial.

Other alleged ISIS sympathizers arrested in recent months include a 21-year-old from Maryland who became known to the FBI after his social media account posted about radical Islam, according to court records. Prosecutors have also brought a case against a 27-year-old Afghanistan citizen who has been in the US since 2021, accusing him of buying AK-47s and planning an Election Day attack alongside his underage in-law.

The men have pleaded not guilty in their separate cases and await trial in detention.

New Orleans attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar was arrested in 2020 by police in Missouri City, Texas, for an alleged misdemeanor involving alcohol, county records show.

Documents state that Jabbar was charged with a “DWI/open alcohol container” violation and that he paid a bond of $500.

The outcome of the case was not clear in the documents. The local district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a question about the case. That arrest occurred the same month a Texas judge granted Jabbar’s second wife a restraining order against him during their divorce case.

Jabbar had other run-ins with law enforcement. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to charges related to driving under the influence. He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of between $50 and $500 in December 2002.

Twenty-five-year-old Matthew Tenedorio from Slidell, Louisiana, was one of the 14 victims of the deadly truck attack, according to his cousin Christina Bounds.

Twenty-five-year-old Matthew Tenedorio from Slidell, Louisiana, was one of the 14 victims of the deadly truck attack in New Orleans, according to his cousin.

The only information the coroner gave the family was that he died from a gunshot, Christina Bounds said. CNN cannot independently confirm Tenedorio was killed by a gunshot.

Matthew Tenedori, one of the 14 victims of the deadly truck attack, is pictured with his cousin, Christina Bounds

However, Tenedorio ultimately ended up making the roughly 45 minute drive to New Orleans with two friends to celebrate the holiday. As they were walking to a bar, the two friends told the family that all three of them saw a body fly up in the air, which they later realized was most likely from the truck running over someone.

“They look up and they’re like, ‘Where did that body come from? What’s going on?’ And they hear the noises and they start running toward the screams to go and help, or at least Matthew did. The other two friends got shoved in bars by the police. And (Matthew) took a gunshot,” Bounds said, adding that the two friends were OK.

The family couldn’t get in touch with Tenedorio New Year’s Day. Bounds attempted to use the “find my device” phone feature, but it wasn’t working. His parents went to the University Medical Center to try to get some answers, Bounds said.

Now, the family wants to know if Tenedorio died instantly from a gunshot wound or if he was taken in an ambulance and later succumbed to his injuries. They also want to know if the bullet came from the attacker’s gun. The suspect died after a firefight with police.

Tenedorio worked as a member in video production team for ASM, the company that manages two major venues in New Orleans — the Caesars Superdome, where the NFL team the New Orleans Saints play, and the Smoothie King Center, home of the Pelicans, an NBA team, the two teams said in a statement.

The statement, posted on X by the Saints, said Tenedorio was “young, talented, and had a bright future” and that he made content for both teams.

His cousin Zach Colgan told CNN that Tenedorio was an audio visual technician at the Superdome stadium. Both his dad and older brother also work there, he said.

CNN’s Danny Freeman contributed to this report.

This post was updated with information about Tenedorio’s work for ASM.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the man accused of driving a vehicle into a crowd in New Orleans, received medals for his overseas military service and Afghanistan deployment.

He received numerous other military awards that are relatively standard, though they indicate honorable service, to include multiple Army Commendation Medals and Army Good Conduct Medals.

Jabbar served in the active-duty Army and Army Reserve from 2007 to 2020 and left service as a staff sergeant.

President Joe Biden was updated on both the New Orleans terror attack and Las Vegas car explosion during a national security meeting Thursday, the White House said in a readout following the meeting.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Biden’s homeland security team were present for the briefings, the White House said in a statement.

In Wednesday evening remarks from Camp David, the president said “no one should jump to conclusions” and that he was directing top law enforcement officials to continue to “intensively” investigate the New Orleans attack.

There is no definitive connection right now between Wednesday’s car ramming in New Orleans and the detonation of explosives inside a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day, the FBI said in a briefing Thursday.

New Orleans truck attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar appears to have posted listings for guns and ammunition on a firearm sales website.

The listings were posted on the website Armslist.com by an account with the username “shamjabbar” with a Houston location. Jabbar’s email address is associated with accounts with the same username on other sites. Several of the Armslist listings also include a phone number that is associated with one of Jabbar’s real estate businesses.

The listings include a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun, a 357 magnum pistol, and a CZ 52 pistol. “Great for sending home invaders to Hell!” the listing for the shotgun says.

It’s unclear when the listings, which are described as “deactivated by the seller,” were first posted on the site. Armslist did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Police have said that Jabbar exchanged fire with officers after he rammed a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans early Wednesday morning but have not released details about the gun or guns he used in the attack.

A resident of the St. Roch neighborhood in New Orleans said he was shocked to learn the suspect in the deadly attack had been staying at the Airbnb next to his home.

According to Michael Adasko, law enforcement officials knocked on his door Wednesday morning and asked him to evacuate the area.

The footage shows the moment the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, unloaded his rented truck outside the Airbnb at around 10:02 p.m. Tuesday on Mandeville Street.

The camera captured the truck sitting idle with the lights on about an hour later, Adasko said.

Prior to the door knock, Adasko said he was woken up around 5 a.m. by the sound of fire trucks.

“There are a lot of variables that make this scary. At 5:10 a.m., I woke up to eight fire trucks putting out a fire at the Airbnb next door. We had smelled fire earlier in the night, but we thought it was fireworks,” Adasko said. “If my neighbor hadn’t called 911 around 4 a.m., we could’ve died.”

The fire started after Jabbar was already deceased, according to Joshua Jackson, Special Agent in Charge for the ATF New Orleans Field Division, said Thursday at a news conference. Jackson said that ATF is still at that scene.

It appears explosive devices associated with the attack were manufactured at the Airbnb that was rented out “for that purpose,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News.

“We eventually went back to sleep, but it was scary sleep. It still smelled like fire,” Adasko added.

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Exclusive video: Doorbell camera captured NOLA attacker outside of Airbnb rental

01:54 - Source: CNN

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters Thursday afternoon: “Right now, I can declare to you that Bourbon Street is open.”

The street had been closed since the terror attack early on New Year’s Day, when a man drove a truck into a crowd of people on the busy New Orleans street.

Authorities are confident that the area is safe for the public after the FBI determined that the suspect — Shamsud-Din Jabbar — who died in a shootout with police during the attack, was a lone actor, Kirkpatrick said.

Barriers have been placed on the street and sidewalk, to stop or slow anyone who tries to breach them, the police chief said.

She added that there is a large police presence in the area to ensure safety.

“People did not die in vain,” Kirkpatrick said. “As a result, we will be a safer city. We will be a safer country.”

A group including a band and religious leaders walked down Bourbon Street on Thursday afternoon ahead of the street’s reopening.

Officials announced the street would reopen ahead of the Sugar Bowl, which is slated to start at 3 p.m. local time.

Religious leaders and the city’s mayor paid respect to the victims of Wednesday’s attack by placing 14 roses and conducting a prayer, New Orleans police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.

“Memories will always be there. People did not die in vain. As a result, we will be a safer city. We will be a safer country, so their deaths are not in vain, and that is our balance,” Kirkpatrick said. “But we will restore, we will return to normalcy, and we can do that and still show respect and honor.”

Barriers are set up on at Canal and Bourbon streets on Thursday in New Orleans.

Police in New Orleans have raised barricades on Bourbon Street as officials continue to investigate an attack that killed at least 14 people in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told CNN’s Ryan Young in an interview that the city is “hardening the target” around the famous street, with the goal of making it so that “any penetration would be almost next to impossible.”

That involves raising the existing barricades, bringing in heavier equipment and placing barriers that block sidewalk access.

Kirkpatrick said Bourbon Street is reopening Thursday ahead of the Sugar Bowl, which is set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET.

The superintendent said she is confident officers will be able to keep people safe. New Orleans is also due to host the Super Bowl next month and the Mardi Gras carnival in March, which attracts about a million people annually.

A high school classmate of New Orleans terror attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who said they reconnected over Facebook several years ago, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that “Sham” had become “enthralled in his faith.”

“And pretty much every conversation we had or post that he was making at that time, in some way, shape or form, it all, you know, resorted back to his Muslim faith,” Chris Pousson told CNN, noting that their conversations always remained respectful.

“He was always very respectful and very positive,” Pousson said. “What happened yesterday just came by complete, complete surprise. I never would have seen this coming.”

Yearbook photo of Hubert Gauthreaux, who was killed in the January 1 truck attack in New Orleans.

School officials at Archbishop Shaw High School announced that Hubert Gauthreaux was killed in Wednesday’s terror attack in New Orleans.

“It is with great sorrow that we share that alum Hubert Gauthreaux, Class of 2021, was tragically killed in the senseless act of violence that occurred early this morning in the French Quarter,” the school announced in a Facebook post. He was 21.

“We are asking the entire Archbishop Shaw family to pray for the repose of Hubert’s soul, his family and friends during this difficult time, and all those affected by this tragedy,” according to the post.

New Orleans City Council member Helena N. Moreno told CNN that she had spent time with Gauthreaux’s family on Wednesday, while they were trying to find him after the attack. She learned about his death later that that night.

“I had been sitting with Hubert’s family earlier that day as they were hoping to get information that he had been found in one of the hospitals, and unfortunately, he was here,” she said, pointing to Bourbon Street.

The Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement last month of the threat of violence from lone offenders around the holidays and the potential use of vehicle ramming, according to two internal memos obtained by CNN.

A joint bulletin released on December 6 and a follow-up “critical incident note” about a vehicle attack on a German Christmas market came days ahead of a pickup truck plowing into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early New Year’s Day. The FBI has called the attack, which killed 14 people and left dozens of others hurt, an “act of terrorism.”

Joint bulletins are distributed to federal, state, and local law enforcement from DHS, FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center to inform them about potential threats. They are shared among law enforcement when necessary, and generally ahead of the holiday season.

In the bulletin obtained by CNN, the agencies warned that “lone offenders pose most likely threat of violence to soft targets in the Homeland during winter holidays,” referring to individuals acting alone.

“Lone offenders have historically used simple tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or vehicle ramming, due to their ease of access, ability to inflict mass casualties, and lack of required training,” the bulletin reads, listing other incidents in previous years.

Deputy Assistant FBI Director Christopher Raia told reporters Thursday that the suspect, identified by authorities as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, acted as a “lone wolf.” The FBI has identified the suspect as a US citizen from Texas and Army veteran.

After the vehicle attack on a German Christmas market last month, DHS also distributed a “critical incident note” to law enforcement summarizing the incident and reiterating its warning that mass gatherings remain a potential target, and that vehicle ramming had been used in the US as a tactic before.

Reggie Hunter

Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old Louisiana man who was killed Wednesday during the terror attack in New Orleans, is remembered by his cousin Travis Hunter as a “good, pure hearted person.”

Reggie Hunter leaves behind two children, an 11-year-old and a one-year-old, according to his cousin.

“Reggie was a beautiful person inside and out,” Travis Hunter told CNN. “To know Reggie was to love Reggie. He was always in a good mood,” he said.

Travis Hunter also described Reggie as an “awesome cousin and most importantly, definitely was a great father. He wanted to do the small things, as we say in America, which is provide a living for him and his family. Have fun, go on vacations, and just do the right thing. And also, at the end of the day, he wanted to become a servant of the lord.”

The Baton Rouge native was at Bourbon Street with another cousin, Kevin Ball, when disaster struck.

CNN’s Taylor Galgano, Kia Fatahi and Chris Lau contributed to this report.

Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl game on Thursday in New Orleans.

A moment of silence honoring the victims of the New Orleans attack will be held before the start of the Sugar Bowl, a Sugar Bowl spokesperson told CNN.

The moment is set to happen before the playing of the National Anthem.

The Sugar Bowl, pitting Georgia vs. Notre Dame, is the final game of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals and is slated to kick off at 4 p.m. ET at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

FBI said they believe the New Orleans attacker, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was “100% inspired by ISIS” and that in the coming days they will dig deeper into his “path to radicalization.”

More on the suspect: In a series of videos, the suspect in the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation.

CNN’s Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, John Miller, Paul P. Murphy and Karina Tsui contributed to this report.

A neighbor of Shamsud-Din Jabbar said he saw the New Orleans attack suspect load a white truck in front of his Houston home with “light stuff” Tuesday morning. Jabbar said he was moving to Louisiana to start a new job, the neighbor said.

Mumtaz Bashir, who lives with his wife and five children next door to Jabbar’s residence in north Houston, told reporters Thursday he believes the truck had been there for one night.

Asked what kind of job Jabbar said he got in Louisiana, Bashir said Jabbar told him it was IT-related.

Jabbar was a private, quiet person who was “nice,” but largely minded his own business, according to Bashir. He recalls Jabbar’s mother lived with him briefly when Jabbar first moved in but hasn’t seen her in months.

Bashir added that he knew Jabbar was Muslim but was not aware he had converted recently. He said he’s never seen Jabbar at the nearby mosque and that Jabbar told him he prayed at home.

Bashir, who said he was still shocked and “very saddened” by what took place. He saw no “red flag” that Jabbar had been radicalized, he said.

FBI investigators said Thursday they have learned more about the movements of Shamsud-Din Jabbar leading up to the deadly New Year’s Day attack on pedestrians on Bourbon Street that left 14 people dead.

Surveillance video and social media posts show Jabbar’s actions in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, said FBI Deputy Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division Christopher Raia.

Raia added that the agency is working to fill in more details of Jabbar’s movements. “Three phones linked to Jabbar have been recovered, and digital media exploitation is a priority to see what is on the devices and determine if there are any other potential leads,” said Raia. “Additionally, we have recovered two laptops and are currently reviewing them for any potential leads.”

A military personnel stands near flowers on a fence near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd during New Year's celebrations in New Orleans on January 1.

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans.

The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

FBI bomb technicians in New Orleans recovered two improvised explosive devices in coolers, seen on surveillance footage being placed in the Bourbon Street area by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly New Orleans crowd attack, Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia with the FBI Counterterrorism Division said Thursday.

The IEDs were placed in the area hours before the attack, some time after midnight around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., Raia said. One was recovered near the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans Street, and another at an intersection approximately two blocks away, according to Raia

Raia said investigators still wanted to talk to people who knew Jabbar, but also anyone who was in the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve or early on New Year’s Day, including people seen near one of the two IEDs in coolers on Bourbon Street.

“Many people stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued on their way,” Raia said. “We do not believe at this point these people are involved in this incident in any way. We want to speak to them as witnesses and want to know what they saw and when.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said that an attack like the one on Bourbon Street can happen anywhere, and “you have to crush” evil to protect Americans.

“I think it’s important for people to understand that to protect our citizens in America from evil, you have to crush it,” he said at a Thursday news conference.

“You can’t go out there and placate it (evil). You can’t go out there and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to put this in place and that in place and hope that evil doesn’t show up on your doorstep.’ Because it will. You have to crush it. And that’s what we’re going to do here,” Landry said.

“We’re going to put it all behind us. We’re going to continue to keep the victims, those that are in the hospital, either fighting for their lives or trying to recover, in our thoughts and in our prayers,” he added.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that Bourbon Street will reopen this afternoon, just ahead of the Sugar Bowl game.

Cantrell said she has confidence with law enforcement partners to reopen the famous street. She stressed that safety continues to be a priority

She said they’re hoping to reopen the street by 2:30 p.m.

She also stressed that New Orleans is not only ready to host today’s game but also any other future large-scale events.

A CNN reporter saw steel barricades being place on sidewalks and on the road on Bourbon Street Thursday afternoon. The Sugar Bowl will kick off at 4 p.m. ET.

CNN’s Joel Williams contributed to this report. This post has been updated with additional details.

Deputy assistant director Christopher Raia with the FBI's counterterrorism division speaks during a press conference in New Orleans on January 2.

A definitive connection between the New Orleans and Las Vegas attacks has not been found at this time, the FBI said on Thursday, adding that it is still “very early” in the investigation.

About the Las Vegas incident: The man connected to the rental of the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside of a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday is a US Special Forces soldier assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group, according to four US officials.

The driver of the Cybertruck was killed and seven others nearby were injured on New Year’s Day when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle were detonated by a device controlled by the driver, police said.

The FBI is investigating whether the explosion is tied to terrorism, and officials noted the implications of the Tesla vehicle and the hotel’s namesake.

The suspect in the deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday is likely to be a lone wolf terrorist with no known accomplices, the FBI announced at a press conference.

The FBI announcement is a reversal from a statement less than 24 hours earlier, in which Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said, “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.”

Investigators had been looking into whether others were responsible for placing improvised explosive devices separate from the truck they say Shamsud-Din Jabbar used to run over the crowd on New Year’s Day.

Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia with the FBI Counterterrorism Division said the New Orleans attack “was an act of terrorism” during a Thursday news conference.

“My goal is to be as forthcoming as possible with you on what we’ve uncovered so far. First and foremost, let me be very clear about this point, this was an act of terrorism,” he said.

“It was premeditated and an evil act,” Raia added.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during a press conference in New Orleans on January 2.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said that more than 1,000 law enforcement agents and officers have sifted through countless amounts of data since the deadly attack on Wednesday.

“From yesterday to today, over a thousand law enforcement agents and officers, men and women, have been pouring over countless amounts of data of videos of surveillances. interviews, tracking down every possible lead that came to us,” the governor said.

Landry also made an emergency declaration “meant to streamline resources” for state local and federal partners.

FBI investigators haven’t found evidence of an accomplice to the man who carried out the deadly New Orleans crowd attack on New Year’s Day and now believe he acted alone, two US law enforcement sources tell CNN.

The investigation is continuing, and officials are expected to address whether the suspect — identified by authorities as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar — acted as a “lone wolf” at a news conference today.

In the immediate hours after the attack, the FBI initially pursued indications the suspect may have had assistance, and officials said they did not believe he was “solely responsible” for the attack.

But so far, those leads haven’t turned out to be accurate, one of the sources said.

Authorities are expected to use an upcoming news conference to address the question of whether the attacker acted alone in the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans, two law enforcement sources told CNN.

Investigators said Wednesday that they did not believe the suspect killed in a firefight with officers after plowing through a crowd on Bourbon Street was “solely responsible” for the attack.

President Joe Biden makes a statement from Camp David, Maryland, on Wednesday, January 1.

President Joe Biden will convene his national security team Thursday in the White House Situation Room to receive an update on the investigation into the New Orleans attack, a spokesperson said.

Biden said Wednesday evening that “no one should jump to conclusions” and added that he is directing top law enforcement officials to continue to “intensively” investigate the attack.

Remember: The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed and dozens injured when a pickup truck plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early New Year’s Day, in what officials have described as a terror attack. The attacker is also dead.

The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

Americans should expect to see a lot of changes to security procedures for large-scale events following the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Thursday.

“They didn’t just attack my home, where I live in New Orleans. They attacked all Americans, not just Democrats or Republicans. They attacked Americans, and our way of life. Football is a huge part of that. I don’t think it’s serendipity that this happened on the cusp of the Sugar Bowl,” Williams added.

Sugar Bowl attendees should expect to see a lot of changes to security protocols at the Superdome, from “bomb sniffing dogs being a part of everyday protocol,” to how to enter and exit the facility, where you can park and what you can bring inside the venue, Williams said.

Gov. Jeff Landry speaks with members of law enforcement at the site where people were run over by a truck in the day before in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 2.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry visited Bourbon Street on Thursday, touring the site where pedestrians were run over by a truck the day before.

Landry walked with a group of law enforcement officials and National Guardsmen as they pointed to different areas along the street. He also shook hands with several law enforcement officers.

The governor issued a state of emergency in Orleans Parish on Wednesday in response to the terror attack, which killed 14 people, according to the FBI. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

But the governor said it is important to be resilient, and that he’d be attending the rescheduled Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday.

“What we plan to do is ensure that as we remember those folks that we put New Orleans back in a position where people can come and have a good time. We believe that the city, I’m convinced the city, is safe,” Landry said. “At the end of the day, we need not let fear paralyze us … when we do that, terrorists win.”

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

A Tesla Cybertruck is on fire in front of the Trump International Tower in Las Vegas on January 1.

Investigators are looking into whether there are possible connections between the attack in New Orleans and a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. Both incidents took place just hours into the new year.

When President Joe Biden addressed the nation about the Bourbon Street attack, he said he was also tracking the explosion of the Cybertruck, but warned no one should “jump to conclusions.”

“Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well, including whether any possible connection to the attack in New Orleans,” Biden said. “Thus far, there’s nothing to report on that score at this time.”

The sheriff said that police were working to determine whether the explosion outside the hotel had any link to ISIS, but “we don’t have any indication of that here in Las Vegas.”

The FBI said Wednesday that they believed the Cybertruck explosion was an isolated incident and there was no further danger to the public.

The vehicles used in both incidents were rented from Turo, the company said, a platform that lets owners rent out their cars.

Authorities suspect that the driver of the Tesla had a background in military service, according to several law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation, and the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly crowd attack in New Orleans previously served in the US military, according to two US officials.

This post has been updated with additional information.

The search of a Houston location believed to be connected to the New Orleans attack suspect is over, the FBI said Thursday.

“At this time, there is no threat to residents in that area,” the statement from the FBI’s Houston office said. “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we are unable to provide any details.”

The search concluded at 7:50 a.m., about 11 hours after the bureau first publicly announced the search. Video from CNN affiliate KHOU showed an armored vehicle parked near the fenced-in home Wednesday.

“Throughout this operation, we have deployed specialized teams including our FBI SWAT team, Crisis Negotiators, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, Tactical Operations Center, Evidence Response Team, and a group of counterterrorism investigators,” the FBI said Wednesday.

A worker cleans the street at the site, where a pickup truck rammed through a crowd the day before, in New Orleans on Thursday.

Authorities in New Orleans permitted sanitation crews to come onto Bourbon Street early Thursday morning to begin cleaning up after the New Years Eve celebrations that turned to tragedy after a pickup truck up rammed through a crowd on the famous street early Wednesday morning, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.

“Last night, around midnight, they called me to see to come assess the situation, to see what equipment we needed to clean up all the area where the accident happened, as well as the rest of the French Quarter, and they told us we could come in around 130-2 o’clock last night when they finished up their investigation,” Torres said.

His sanitation workers were told not to touch any of the trash cans in the area until authorities had made sure there weren’t IEDs.

“It was a big cleanup. I’ve cleaned up after Mardi Gras many a times, but this was different,” Torres said. “Respect to the people that defended us and were there for us and protected us, and feel sorry for the ones and pray for the ones that were lost, but we made sure that we cleaned it up, and we’re ready for the pedestrians and everyone to come back once the mayor and the FBI allows them to come back in.”

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

A fire truck and a police vehicle operate near the site where people were killed by a man driving a truck in an attack during New Year's celebrations, in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1.

Paul and Annica had just gone to bed after ringing in the new year at a hotel on Bourbon Street, when they were awaked by a loud crash outside their hotel room balcony.

“At first it was super disorienting,” Annica, who looked out of the window at the fresh scene, told CNN’s Sara Sidner. “When you walk out into a situation like this, you don’t know what you’re looking at … my eyes had to strain to understand what I was seeing.”

“We don’t help the situation by entering into it. So, all we could do is stand by and watch and to see immediately, dead bodies laying in the street both directions. It’s something that nobody should have to see in the beginning of the new year,” Annica said.

The couple said they planned to “get out into nature, see something green, something beautiful,” on Thursday to begin to cope with what they witnessed.

“When we get back home, we’ll have to take it day by day, but there’s no doubt we’re going to have to go find some counseling for this,” Paul told CNN. “We haven’t really had a moment of not thinking about this since it happened. It has been top-of-mind in every conversation we’ve had, in every thought we’ve had. Going to sleep last night was almost impossible.”

Cleaning crews moved in on Bourbon Street Thursday morning, and investigators moved out after law enforcement spent most of the previous day collecting evidence from the site of the New Year’s Day terror attack in the French Quarter.

The historic street was not immediately reopened to the public.

“Ultimately it be up to the New Orleans Police Department superintendent and the mayor to determine when Bourbon Street will be fully reopen, but we’re getting back to normal,” Moreno said.

The exact measures that will be taken to increase security in New Orleans in the future are still under discussion, a city council member says whatever is done will not come cheaply.

Oliver Thomas, chair of the city’s Criminal Justice Committee, was walking through the French Quarter Thursday morning, telling CNN’s Manu Raju that he’s trying to figure out what the city can do differently, and how they can pay for it.

The chief of police promised “hundreds of officers” on the streets Thursday as the city hosts the Sugar Bowl. Thomas added that they have to do what is necessary to keep people safe, but bemoaned the way terrorism is changing their lives.

“Even when we are safe, they’re winning,” he said, “because those are funds that American cities and other communities could use to help our seniors or help our children.”

The New Year’s Day truck ramming that killed 14 people and injured dozens more in New Orleans is the deadliest attack on US soil since the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine that killed 18 people.

The suspect in the New Orleans ramming, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, authorities have said. The shooter in the Maine attack, Robert Card, was a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN.

The New Orleans ramming is also the deadliest attack in the United States using a weaponized vehicle since the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database began tracking data in 2006.

The second-deadliest vehicle ramming attack was the Christmas Day Parade attack in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2021, according to the database. That attack killed six people after a man rammed his SUV through the parade.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

Police checkpoints on and around Bourbon Street on January 1, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The chief of the New Orleans Police Department is promising a substantial increase in law enforcement presence today as the city hosts the Sugar Bowl, one day after the playoff game was postponed following the Bourbon Street terror attack.

Investigators say Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his truck around a single police cruiser blocking the entrance to Bourbon Street, gaining access by driving onto the sidewalk. Kirkpatrick promised that will change.

“We will have much heavier equipment to harden these softer targets,” Kirkpatrick told NBC.

Tiger Bech, left, and Reggie Hunter

At least 14 people were killed when an attacker plowed his pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day.

Authorities have yet to release the names of the victims, but some have been identified by their loved ones.

Here’s what we know about the victims:

Tiger Bech: The native of Lafayette, Louisiana, was a former Princeton football player and had been working as a junior trader in New York City.

The 27-year-old had traveled to his home state for the holidays and was going to fly back to New York on Wednesday morning, according to his sister Virginia Bech.

But he was caught up in the attack while on his way back to a hotel with his best friend Ryan Quigley, she said. He died from internal injuries, including head trauma, hours after the attack, his sister said.

She said Quigley was in a stable condition.

Reggie Hunter: Hunter, 37, was a father of two known for his sense of humor, according to his cousin Shirell Robinson Jackson.

Hunter leaves behind his 11-year-old and a one-year-old, according to Jackson.

The Baton Rouge native was at Bourbon Street with another cousin, Kevin Ball. After the attack, he was taken to a hospital but he had died from internal injuries by the time Jackson got there.

Kareem Badawi: He had studied at The University of Alabama, the institution’s president said.

Badawi’s high school, the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, said it would be holding a prayer session today for Badawi and Parker Vidrine, another former student who was injured in the attack. Badawi and Vidrine both graduated from the high school in 2024.

Read more about the victims of the attack.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Reggie Hunter’s family was able to see him at the hospital before he died.

An FBI agent stands behind a security barrier near the site of the attack in New Orleans on January 1.

One of the FBI’s challenges when investigating the deadly New Orleans attack is determining whether the suspect was inspired by ISIS or directed by the Islamist militant group, a security expert said.

The attack had “several strategic and symbolic considerations as potentially textbook ISIS,” Sajjan M. Gohel told CNN’s Christina Macfarlane.

“So if you look at the combination of ramming and shooting, it does suggest a desire to maximize casualties. We’ve seen vehicle attacks by ISIS in the past,” said Gohel, International Security Director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation.

“What you then see is that the suspect then seeks to kill as many people as possible, then die in a hail of bullets… what’s described as ‘death by cop’.”

Gohel also pointed out that the attack, which happened less than a mile from where The Sugar Bowl was to be hosted hours later, prompting the annual college football game’s postponment, was also intended to “have an economic repercussion.”

The city is also due to host the Super Bowl and the Mardi Gras carnival, which attracts about a million people annually.

Gohel said the attack appeared well-planned.

New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street devolved into a crime scene just hours into the new year as a driver plowed a pickup truck through crowds of holiday revelers, in what the FBI now says was a terror attack.

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

Using surveillance footage and witness video and accounts, CNN has pieced together a timeline of the attack.

At around 3:16 a.m. a white pickup truck was captured on a surveillance camera driving northwest on Canal Street toward the intersection with Bourbon Street.

At the intersection, the truck makes a sharp right onto the sidewalk, skirting a wall of police cars and other barriers that had been blocking cars from entering Bourbon Street and plowing into a group of people who had been standing on the corner.

A few blocks away, a group of police officers jumped into action after appearing to receive an emergency call, video shows. The officers sprinted down the street, pushing through wandering partygoers in their hurry.

The truck continued racing down Bourbon Street before crashing, police said.

The suspect exited his car and began shooting at police officers, who returned fire. The suspect was shot and killed by officers. Two officers were injured and were in stable condition Wednesday.

At about 3:30 a.m. a witness captured video and photos of law enforcement running toward the suspect’s truck and working to secure the scene.

Inside the truck, investigators found an ISIS flag and potential improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. IEDs were also found elsewhere in the French Quarter, the agency said. FBI bomb technicians were working to determine whether any of the devices could be dangerous and to render them safe.

By 3:40 a.m. surrounding streets were packed with law enforcement vehicles that blocked access to the crime scene, video from a witness shows.

See our full visual timeline.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, seen in this undated image provided by the FBI, is suspected of driving a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old man suspected of driving a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans and killing at least 14 people, had previously pled guilty to two charges, including driving under the influence in 2015.

Jabbar had driven under the influence of an impairing substance in November 2014 and recorded a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, according to documents from a US District Court in North Carolina obtained by CNN. Documents also showed Jabbar was driving with “an open container of alcoholic beverage after he consumed alcohol.”

He was charged with Level 5 DWI –– the least severe level of the offense in North Carolina.

Jabbar had his driver’s license suspended, placed on probation for 12 months, fined $200 and complied with 24 hours of community service, according to the documents.

He was also ordered to have a substance abuse assessment and treatment — and pay for it — in addition to participating in any other alcohol/drug rehabilitation program directed by the US Probation Office.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

A student from the University of Alabama was among at least 14 people killed when a pickup truck plowed into a crowd in New Orleans on Wednesday, the school confirmed.

Badawi’s high school, the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, said it would be holding an evening prayer session on Thursday for Badawai and Parker Vidrine, another former student who was injured in the attack. Badawi and Vidrine both graduated from the high school in 2024.

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

Ruth and Jonathan Chavez speak to CNN on January 2.

Ruth and Jonathan Chavez witnessed the attack in New Orleans on Wednesday morning and described their ordeal as “scary” and “devastating.”

The mother and 17-year-old son were enjoying their night seeing in the new year and were ending their celebrations in a live music bar on Bourbon Street when the attack happened.

When they went outside, they saw the pickup truck used in the attack just outside the bar they were in and people who were dead and injured in the street.

“We saw the first responders trying to save a young man, and they were working on him for so long, and we were just hoping and praying he was going to survive. But there was no life in him at all,” she said.

Ruth Chavez said this is the third consecutive year they had visited New Orleans because “we have so much fun” and praised the police and first responders who were on the scene Wednesday.

Sean Keenan, a freelance reporter for the New York Times, said he interviewed the suspect responsible for the New Orleans attack for his college newspaper in 2015.

Keenan was reporting a story on students at Georgia State University who had served in the military and were having trouble getting their Veteran Affairs benefits, when he was put in contact with Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

Jabbar served in the US Army from 2007 to 2020, in both an active duty and reserve capacity.

He said that Jabbar was frustrated with the “labyrinthine nature of the VA programs.”

“He (also) lamented that a single missing piece of paperwork or a missed signature could just have you slip through the cracks, have you missing a check that you may direly depend on.”

Keenan said nothing about his character at the time threw up any “red flags.”

Condolences for those killed in the New Orleans attack Wednesday are pouring in from around the world, with a number of world leaders and officials expressing shock and sorrow.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “the shockingly violent attack in New Orleans is horrific,” adding that his thoughts were with “the people of the United States at this tragic time.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the news was “horrifying” and that his “heart is with the loved ones of the victims, those fighting to recover, and everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, too, said he was “horrified” and that “violence, terrorism, and any threats to human life have no place in our world and must not be tolerated.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said that New Orleans is “so dear to the hearts of the French” and “our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the injured, as well as with the American people, whose sorrow we share.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said: “People celebrating happily are torn from their lives or injured by senseless hatred.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said “the tragedy in New Orleans is a shocking and intolerable act of violence.”

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the kingdom’s “condemnation and denunciation” of the attack.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “all Australians are appalled by the attack in New Orleans, a shocking act of violence aimed at people celebrating the new year together.”

Tiger Bech was among those killed in the New Orleans attack on Wednesday.

Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech, 27, was among at least 14 people killed in the New Orleans attack on Wednesday, his sister confirmed to CNN.

Virginia Bech, 29, said her younger brother was outside a pizza shop on Bourbon Street, walking back to his hotel with a friend, when the attack unfolded.

His friend, Ryan Quigley, was wounded in the attack, she said.

Tiger Bech, from Lafayette, Louisiana, played college football at Princeton and moved to New York City after graduating in 2021 to work as a junior trader for Seaport Global Holdings, a capital markets firm, his sister said.

He was visiting Louisiana for the holidays.

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

The last time Virginia Bech heard from her brother was shortly before 1:30 a.m. when he texted their family group chat saying, “Happy new year.”

The last message she sent to her brother said: “Happy new year Tig. I love you and so proud of all you accomplished in 2024. 2025, let’s get it!”

A few hours later, Tiger was dead. His sister said he sustained internal injuries, including head trauma, in the attack when a driver rammed a pickup truck into the crowd on Bourbon Street.

His friend, Quigley, is in a stable condition but suffered a severe laceration to the head and a broken leg, Virginia Bech said.

Princeton’s football coach Bob Surace described Tiger Bech as “a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend.”

Hailing from a family of athletes, most of whom played football at Louisiana State University, Tiger was beloved by friends and family as a larger-than-life person who loved to travel, his sister said.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

New Orleans city council member Jean-Paul Morrell told CNN that the city is now “recalibrating on a massive scale” how to balance being safe while also maintaining its image as “the city everyone loves.”

The Sugar Bowl, which is a draw for people across the country and was scheduled for Wednesday night, has been postponed by 24 hours. New Orleans is also due to host the Super Bowl next month and the Mardi Gras carnival in March, which attracts about a million people annually.

Morrell said New Orleans is “already in the midst of looking at infrastructure improvements” for these events.

The city, Morrell said, is walking a “difficult tightrope” and is “recalibrating on a massive scale to see how we can continue to be the city everyone loves, while also making sure that we are safe.”

A sign for the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame is seen outside the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, after people were killed on Bourbon Street when a person drove into a crowd in the early morning hours of January 1.

Notre Dame football team head coach Marcus Freeman expressed his condolences and solidarity with New Orleans and the victims, hours before the now-postponed Sugar Bowl game against the University of Georgia.

At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd during New Year’s celebrations on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. The FBI is investigating it as an “act of terrorism.”

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

Freeman said he had been told that there had been some sort of tragedy prior to meeting with the team Wednesday but that they still planned to play in the Sugar Bowl as scheduled.

As details emerged about the severity of the incident and discussions of postponement grew, the team reconvened.

Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley later announced on Wednesday that the quarterfinal matchup at Caesars Superdome had been postponed to Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

Freeman said “we all” will have the tragedy “at the forefronts of our minds as we move forward” but the team will also be ready to play.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

FBI agents work the site where people were killed by a man driving a truck in an attack during New Year's celebrations in New Orleans on January 1.

At least 14 people were killed and 35 more injured when a driver rammed a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day.

Authorities have identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar from Texas, who is an Army veteran.

The FBI is investigating the deadly New Orleans attack as an “act of terrorism.”

The FBI confirmed Thursday that 14 people were killed in the terror attack in New Orleans. The attacker is also dead. The New Orleans Coroner previously announced 15 deaths but did not provide any identifying information about the decedents.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post included the attacker in the number of people killed. At least 14 people were killed. The attacker is also dead.

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Kyung Lah breaks down details on suspect’s background

03:39 - Source: CNN

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, has been identified as the suspect who intentionally rammed a pickup truck into a large crowd on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street early in the morning on New Year’s Day. He was killed in a firefight with police after the crash.

In a series of videos before the attack, he discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials. He made the chilling recordings while driving from his home in Texas to Louisiana, authorities believe.

He made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials said. But Jabbar said in the videos that he changed his plans and joined ISIS, according to the officials.

Key things to know:

Jabbar was born in Beaumont, Texas, he said in a 2020 YouTube video titled “Personal Introduction,” in which he pitched himself as a professional real estate agent based in Houston.

Jabbar served in the US Army from 2007 to 2020, in both an active duty and reserve capacity. He served as a human resources and information technology specialist on active duty between March 2007 and January 2015, deploying to Afghanistan once from February 2009 to January 2010.

Jabbar, who held jobs in real estate and IT, had been struggling with financial troubles, court documents show.

Jabbar has divorced two of his ex-wives, court documents show. A Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order against Jabbar in 2020 after his second wife asked for one during their divorce case.

Read more about the suspect.