A car runs into a crowd, in suspected terrorist attack, in New Orleans’ tourist district in New Year Day’s early hours killing at least 10 people and caused more than 30 injuries when people were celebrating festive New Year.
The incident, which New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrel has described a “terrorist attack”, took place on the corner of the popular Bourbon Street, southern US, in the French Quarter of the city on Wednesday morning.
The driver of the vehicle, according eye witnesses to CBS News and CNN, also struck gunfire at officers on the scene which shot two police officers but all are in stable condition in hospital.
New Orleans Police Department superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick, said the incident started at around 3.15am local time when a man driving a pick-up truck “intentionally” went around barricades and drove down the street at a “very fast pace”.
“He was trying to run over as many people as he could,” she said.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did.”
The FBI said it was investigating the attack as an “act of terrorism”, and the intelligence and security service’s special agent Alethea Duncan added that “improvised explosive devices” were found in the area and checks were being carried out to see if the devices were “viable”.
The city’s emergency preparedness agency, NOLA Ready, managed by New Orleans Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, when confirming the news said in a statement earlier on Wednesday that there had been a “mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street”.
“Public safety partners are responding on scene.”
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said he was “praying for all the victims and first responders on scene”.
The attacker is killed by officers on the ground.
Attack was expected
Police said on Tuesday they expected the city to be busy as locals and visitors rang in the new year.
The city was also hours from the annual Allstate Sugar Bowl college American football game, which was set to attract thousands of people.
Officials said to help keep the peace, the police department would be staffed at 100% and it would draft in another 300 officers. Bourbon Street is a popular tourist area in the city, famous for its many bars and clubs.
Officials of the city have warned people to stay away from the Bourbon Street area.
