Portugal Colonial - Terrorism suspected in New Orleans truck-ramming that killed 10

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas and Army veteran. He appeared to have been a real estate agent working in Houston and had served as an IT specialist in the military.

Officials said they were searching for accomplices but gave few details.

Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described Jabbar as a "terrorist," while the FBI said "an ISIS flag was located in the vehicle."

"The FBI is working to determine the subject's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations," the FBI said in a statement.

Officials said a manhunt was underway, with FBI agent Alethea Duncan warning, "we do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible."

"We're hunting some bad people down," Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry said.

- Aiming for 'carnage' -

Police said the incident began around 3:15 am (0915 GMT) in the heart of the French Quarter, which was packed with people celebrating the start of 2025.

The suspect drove a white Ford F-150 electric pickup into a group of pedestrians, then exited and was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police -- two of whom were wounded. Two homemade bombs were found and made safe, the FBI said.

US news reports said the death toll had risen to 15, but this was not confirmed by officials.

"This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could," Kirkpatrick told reporters.

Driving at "very high speed" and in a "very intentional" manner, "he was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," Kirkpatrick said.

The wounded officers were in stable condition and Kirkpatrick said they would recover.

The New Orleans attack came 10 days after a similar car-ramming assault at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg that killed five and wounded more than 200. In that case, police arrested a Saudi man and said he appeared to be mentally disturbed.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that "there is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities."

President-elect Donald Trump immediately linked the attack to illegal immigration, giving no evidence and before authorities made clear the suspect was American.

Trump also claimed that the nation's crime rate "is at a level that nobody has ever seen." In fact, violent crime is sharply down across the country, according to the FBI.

- Horror in iconic neighborhood -

In the wee hours of the year's first day, revelers were celebrating in the French Quarter, a district renowned for its bars, restaurants, jazz history and Mardi Gras parties.

Bystander Zion Parsons said he saw that instantly turn into a scene of horror.

"The best way I can describe it is truly a war zone," he told CNN. "There were bodies and blood and all the trash."

"People were terrified, running, screaming," he said.

Another witness, Jimmy Cothran, told ABC that the mayhem was "insanity."

"We instantly counted, I’d say, 10 bodies -- six clearly graphically deceased, and the others yelling with no one around," he said.

New Orleans is one of the most heavily visited destinations in the United States and on February 9 will stage the NFL's Super Bowl game -- one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

The attack came just hours before the city was due to host the Sugar Bowl, a major college football game featuring teams from the University of Georgia and Notre Dame.

That game was delayed for 24 hours, officials said.

Policing had already been heavy over the New Year's holiday, according to the city, as authorities braced for big crowds.

The city police department had announced staffing at "100 percent, with an additional 300 officers assisting from partner law enforcement agencies," including on horseback and using unmarked units.

S.Pimentel--PC