Driver rams New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 10. FBI investigating as ‘act of terrorism’
Published 11:32 am Wednesday, January 1, 2025
- A Louisiana State Police vehicle parked in the French Quarter of New Orleans during Mardi Gras festivities in 2023. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana State Police)
A driver wrought carnage on New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, ramming a pickup truck into a crowd and killing 10 people before being shot to death by police, authorities said.
More than 30 people were injured in the attack, which the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
The driver was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday along Bourbon Street near Canal Street in an area teeming with New Year’s revelers, the FBI said.
Investigators were combing the French Quarter for potential explosive devices, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said officials were investigating at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene.
At a news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the killings as a “terrorist attack” and the city’s police chief said the act was clearly intentional.
