Officials have identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar as the suspect behind an attack in New Orleans in the early hours of this morning that left 10 people dead and dozens injured.
The 42-year-old was killed by police after, law enforcement officials say, driving into a crowd celebrating the new year in Bourbon Street at around 3.15am local time.
He is a US citizen from Texas, and the truck that it is believed he used to carry out the killings has a state licence plate.
FBI Special Agent Alicia Duncan said during a press conference this evening that Jabbar was an “army veteran”.
She told the media: “We believe he was honourary discharged, but we’re working through this process, figuring out all this information.”
After hitting the crowd, Jabbar exited the vehicle and fired upon law enforcement personnel.
They returned fire, and the suspect was pronounced diseased at the scene.
Two law enforcement officers were injured in the exchange, and transported to local hospitals.
The truck driven by Jabbar is thought to have been rented, and investigators are now working to confirm how he came into possession of the vehicle.
An Islamic State (ISIS) flag was found in the truck, and the FBI is working to determine the suspect’s “potential associations” with terrrist organisations, the media was told this evening.
Agent Duncan also said that weapons and a potential improvised explosive devices (IED) were located.
It is beleived that Jabbar did not work alone, and the FBI is “aggressively running down every lead”, including his known associates.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said of the attacker: “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.
“It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
US President Joe Biden said the FBI is investigating the “horrific incident” as “an act of terrorism” and that he has directed his team to ensure every resource is available as authorities work to “get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible”.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Mr Biden said in a written statement.
“There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
