Truck attack in New Orleans kills 10; FBI probing terrorism angle

The driver, who swerved around barricades, fired at cops and struck them from the vehicle after it finally crashed, eyewitnesses said

- Agencies

WASHINGTON: A driver crashed his pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year's Day in New Orleans' French Quarter and opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring more than 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was a potential act of terrorism.

The FBI identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas. Investigators were working to determine Jabbar's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations, the FBI said.

Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. in an area teeming with New Year's revelers, the FBI said. A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed by police.

"This man was trying to run over as many people as he could," Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a televised press conference on Wednesday. "He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did."