Car crashes into crowd in New Orleans, 15 dead

In the US state of Louisiana, fifteen people lost their lives, and at least 35 sustained injuries, including two police officers, in an incident involving a vehicle that plunged into a crowd at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, according to Nola Ready, the city’s emergency preparedness agency. The assailant, 42-year-old Texas Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbarun, succumbed to fatal gunshot wounds after discharging his weapon at law enforcement personnel, who subsequently returned fire. Investigators are endeavouring to ascertain whether the man acted alone or whether he had accomplices. According to reports in the New York Times, the incident is being investigated as a suspected act of terrorism. The hypothesis above was reportedly corroborated by the FBI. The authorities are investigating the discovery of two suspected homemade explosive devices. FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan stated that the Ford pick-up truck used in the attack had been rented and that an ISIS flag was present on the vehicle’s trailer hitch. She added that the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations.