UN chief condemns pickup truck attack in US city of New Orleans

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned a pickup truck attack Wednesday that killed at least 15 people in the city of New Orleans in the US state of Louisiana.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack in New Orleans, where a driver struck a crowd gathered to celebrate the New Year, reportedly killing at least 15 people and injuring over 30 others," said his Associate Spokesperson Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez​ in a statement.

Guterres "extends his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and to the Government and people of Louisiana and the United States. He also wishes a swift recovery to those persons injured," said the spokesperson.

A white F-150 pickup truck plowed through the heart of the French Quarter around 3.15 a.m. (0915GMT) Wednesday, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30 others.

The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a US citizen from Texas.

"We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates," Alethea Duncan, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, told reporters at a press briefing.

"We cannot go into details about the subject's history. What I can tell you is the person was an Army veteran. We believe he was honorably discharged, but we're working through this process, figuring out all this information," Duncan added.

Citing FBI officials who informed him, President Joe Biden said that Jabbar, hours before the attack, posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by Daesh/ISIS and expressed his desire to kill.

"The ISIS flag was found in his vehicle, which he rented to conduct this attack. Possible explosives were found in the vehicle as well, and more explosives were found nearby. The situation is very fluid, and the investigation is in the preliminary stage," Biden said at a news conference from the White House.