New Orleans: At least 15 killed and 35 injured after driver plowed into crowd

A man drove into a crowd at Canal and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, leaving at least 15 people dead, local authorities said. Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said it was "intentional behavior": "This man was trying to run over as many people as he could."

Kirkpatrick also claimed that after the attacker plowed his vehicle into a crowd, the attacker fired at officers. Two were wounded and are in stable condition. The attacker was killed during the shooting. 

In total, 35 people were reported injured. That number, however, is provisional. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that two of those affected are Israeli citizens, according to the Israeli outlet The Times of Israel.

The attack occurred after 3 a.m. Most of the victims were local residents. The investigation was handed over to the FBI, which said it had found "improvised explosive devices." The agency did not provide further details but urged people to avoid the area.

"We know that the city of New Orleans was hit by a terrorist attack," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The FBI is investigating the assault as a terrorist attack.

New Orleans police had reported hours earlier that a vehicle rammed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter early Wednesday morning.

Main official reactions

"President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of people in New Orleans overnight," the White House said in a statement, also offering support to Mayor Cantrell. The president himself later affirmed that he will not tolerate "any attack on any of our nation's communities."

For her part, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she is praying for the victims and assured that she will work ensure victims "get justice for this appalling act." Governor Jeff Landry described the attack as a "horrific act of violence" and asked citizens to stay away from the scene of the crime.

Doubts about attacker's identity and calls for border closure

Fox News reported that the truck involved in the attack, with a Texas license plate, entered the Eagle Pass, Texas, border crossing in November. However, it clarified that the driver who crossed the border was not the same as the one in the attack.

While authorities have yet to comment on this information, Donald Trump released a statement on Truth Social stating that "the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country" and promising that his administration will help the city "investigate and recover from this act of pure evil."

Sharing an image of Trump's message, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance called what happened "heartbreaking." "Such a beautiful and great American city. May God bless the victims and their families," he added.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also echoed Fox's revelation in a series of social media posts, in which she called for closing the border and demanded that the attacker's name be revealed. "The truth needs to come out asap."