The Fort Worth Press - FBI probes potential accomplices in New Orleans truck ramming

USD -
AED 3.672975
AFN 71.633316
ALL 90.514467
AMD 390.65139
ANG 1.790208
AOA 916.000413
ARS 1075.375034
AUD 1.662635
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.696617
BAM 1.785401
BBD 2.019937
BDT 121.550441
BGN 1.785365
BHD 0.376814
BIF 2973.60337
BMD 1
BND 1.347806
BOB 6.928063
BRL 5.8739
BSD 1.000438
BTN 85.886692
BWP 14.071636
BYN 3.273951
BYR 19600
BZD 2.009521
CAD 1.421265
CDF 2873.000064
CHF 0.860445
CLF 0.025675
CLP 984.99985
CNY 7.28155
CNH 7.320185
COP 4388.98
CRC 507.659163
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 100.658183
CZK 23.111704
DJF 178.152473
DKK 6.84078
DOP 62.916507
DZD 133.90697
EGP 51.412398
ERN 15
ETB 132.431441
EUR 0.916475
FJD 2.33765
FKP 0.774458
GBP 0.78371
GEL 2.749751
GGP 0.774458
GHS 15.452654
GIP 0.774458
GMD 71.461814
GNF 8678.171978
GTQ 7.716396
GYD 210.180705
HKD 7.77098
HNL 25.664557
HRK 6.887982
HTG 132.979117
HUF 370.361432
IDR 16564.219442
ILS 3.77986
IMP 0.774458
INR 85.509498
IQD 1310.323621
IRR 42002.601119
ISK 132.195716
JEP 0.774458
JMD 157.23621
JOD 0.709026
JPY 147.701498
KES 129.479403
KGS 86.768703
KHR 3998.590514
KMF 449.018129
KPW 900
KRW 1459.452089
KWD 0.307805
KYD 0.820006
KZT 509.574919
LAK 21651.680698
LBP 90271.085203
LKR 295.427831
LRD 199.886597
LSL 19.092298
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.834961
MAD 9.536033
MDL 17.531802
MGA 4651.707636
MKD 56.07975
MMK 2099.820881
MNT 3508.612
MOP 8.007644
MRU 39.915707
MUR 44.569601
MVR 15.459708
MWK 1733.371401
MXN 20.64479
MYR 4.436766
MZN 63.616338
NAD 19.092298
NGN 1529.461127
NIO 36.624561
NOK 10.951715
NPR 136.879329
NZD 1.798351
OMR 0.384998
PAB 1
PEN 3.678499
PGK 4.09838
PHP 57.408042
PKR 280.344053
PLN 3.889526
PYG 8053.790242
QAR 3.639965
RON 4.543598
RSD 106.910099
RUB 84.501385
RWF 1410.241694
SAR 3.749452
SBD 8.499799
SCR 14.818833
SDG 598.970435
SEK 10.07421
SGD 1.345922
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.750047
SLL 20969.501083
SOS 569.536574
SRD 36.514556
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.749749
SYP 13001.844432
SZL 19.092298
THB 34.326544
TJS 10.894584
TMT 3.49741
TND 3.056507
TOP 2.404412
TRY 37.99879
TTD 6.730946
TWD 33.205802
TZS 2665.572985
UAH 41.467776
UGX 3656.587596
UYU 42.236311
UZS 12920.507366
VES 71.363877
VND 25782.587407
VUV 122.117563
WST 2.799576
XAF 598.690839
XAG 0.033287
XAU 0.000334
XCD 2.7
XDR 0.746748
XOF 598.690839
XPF 108.913878
YER 245.471684
ZAR 19.56376
ZMK 9001.203025
ZMW 27.90088
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    1.0200

    69.02

    +1.48%

  • CMSC

    -0.1400

    22.15

    -0.63%

  • SCS

    -0.2500

    10.33

    -2.42%

  • NGG

    -2.6000

    63.33

    -4.11%

  • RELX

    -2.5500

    45.61

    -5.59%

  • GSK

    -1.9400

    34.59

    -5.61%

  • BCC

    -1.6900

    93.75

    -1.8%

  • RIO

    0.1100

    54.78

    +0.2%

  • BTI

    -0.4750

    39.385

    -1.21%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0800

    8.17

    -0.98%

  • BP

    -0.9250

    27.455

    -3.37%

  • JRI

    -0.6300

    11.33

    -5.56%

  • BCE

    -0.7450

    21.965

    -3.39%

  • AZN

    -3.1500

    65.31

    -4.82%

  • VOD

    -0.1250

    8.375

    -1.49%

  • CMSD

    -0.2790

    22.551

    -1.24%

FBI probes potential accomplices in New Orleans truck ramming
FBI probes potential accomplices in New Orleans truck ramming / Photo: © AFP

FBI probes potential accomplices in New Orleans truck ramming

Investigators homed in Thursday on whether a US army veteran had accomplices when he killed at least 15 people by plowing a pickup truck -- carrying an Islamic State flag -- into a dense New Year's party crowd in New Orleans.

Text size:

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas and Army veteran. He rammed a rented Ford F-150 electric truck into a crowd in New Orleans' iconic party district in the early hours of January 1, then was shot dead by police after a brief exchange of gunfire.

The key question now is whether anyone was helping Jabbar, who authorities said had been inspired by Islamic State videos, and carried the jihadist group's black flag on the pickup.

The FBI said it was conducting search warrants in New Orleans and other states.

However, New Orleans police dampened speculation on a wider group of attackers Thursday.

"At this time, I would not use the word accomplice. There are some people of interest that ... the FBI wants to screen as to whether or not they were associated or not," Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters.

"It may be that this is a lone wolf," she said.

President Joe Biden said law enforcement agencies are also probing any possible links between the New Orleans attack and an explosion later on Wednesday of a Tesla Cybertruck outside a hotel owned by US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas.

One person was killed and seven were injured in the incident.

- Cleanup on Bourbon Street -

In New Orleans' French Quarter, cleaners continued to clear the debris from the horrific attack, which also left more than 30 injured. Bourbon Street, at the heart of the area's famous nightlife and jazz establishments, remained closed to the public.

After a 24 hour delay due to the violence, the city was gearing up to stage the major Sugar Bowl college football game in the Superdome later Thursday. The stadium will also host the NFL's Super Bowl championship game in February.

"We believe we can absolutely provide a safe and wonderful environment today, and hold the Super Bowl and all of our activities," Kirkpatrick said.

- Trump rant -

The terrifying incident came three weeks before Trump takes over from Biden as president.

The Republican has used the mayhem to push his anti-immigrant agenda, despite the alleged killer being a US-born citizen.

Overnight, Trump again took to social media to link the attack to "OPEN BORDERS."

In a lengthy rant, he berated law enforcement bodies for "attacking their political opponent, ME, rather than focusing on protecting Americans from the outside and inside violent SCUM."

Claiming "the USA is breaking down," Trump said, without giving details: "the CIA must get involved."

- Carnage -

Police say Jabbar drove at high speed into the crowd, intent on causing maximum casualties.

"There were bodies and blood and all the trash," bystander Zion Parsons told CNN. "People were terrified, running, screaming."

"It was just scary, I cried my eyes out, honestly," tourist Ethan Ayersman, 20, told AFP.

He was among the masses visiting the colorful southern US city for New Year's celebrations and said he had enjoyed Bourbon Street into the early hours.

But Ayersman said his brother woke him up after hearing gunshots and a car speeding.

From the window of their nearby rental, they could see "some of the bodies that were being lined up," Ayersman said.

Among the dead, Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, graduated from high school last year and set to begin a nursing program this month, US media reported.

The New York Times identified Tiger Bech, a former football player at Princeton University, also among those killed.

- Links to Vegas? -

The Pentagon said Jabbar served in the Army as a human resources specialist and an IT specialist from 2007 to 2015, and then in the army reserve until 2020.

He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 until January 2010, an army spokesperson said.

Biden said that "thus far, there's nothing" linking the New Orleans attack with the Las Vegas explosion, which police described as an "isolated" incident.

However, authorities continued to probe the possibility.

The Las Vegas blast killed the person inside the space-age looking truck built by Trump ally Elon Musk's electric car company.

US media quoted law enforcement sources as saying the person who rented the Telsa truck is a current US Army special forces member.

In another echo of the New Orleans incident, the vehicles in both cases had been rented through the car-sharing app Turo.

T.M.Dan--TFWP