Mike Johnson, the House speaker and Louisiana congressman, has condemned the attack.
“The vicious attack on innocent people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans early this morning was an act of pure evil, and justice must be swift for anyone who was involved,” Johnson, who represents a district in the northwest of Louisiana in Congress, wrote on X.
“Please join us in praying for the victims, their families, and the first responders and investigators on the scene.”
President Biden pledges support
President Biden has called LaToya Cantrell, the New Orleans mayor, to offer the full support of the federal government after this morning’s attack.
He has been briefed on the developments by officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, and will monitor the developing situation, the White House said.
Biden is in Wilmington, Delaware, and will head to Camp David today.
FBI confirms suspect is dead after ‘act of terrorism’
The FBI has confirmed that the suspect in this morning’s attack is dead and that they are treating the incident as an “act of terrorism”.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others,” the bureau said in a statement.
“The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
Initially the agency denied it was terrorism — FBI Assistant Special Agent Aletha Duncan said: “This is not a terrorist event” — but the mayor and local officials said they believed it was.
Senator offers condolences
Bill Cassidy, a senator from Louisiana, has described the car ramming that left 10 dead and scores injured as “tragic”.
“Give thanks for the police officers responding,” Cassidy wrote on X. “Remember the wounded and dead and their families.”
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.
Truck used in attack pictured
It has been confirmed that the vehicle used in the New Orleans attack was a white pickup truck. Emergency services are still investigating the scene of the incident, which happened about five hours ago.
Bollards ‘not up’ at time of attack
Retractable bollards have been used since 2017 to control car access to Bourbon Street, a tourist hotspot in New Orleans, but it appears they were not in use last night.
“Me and my friends were surprised they were not up,” Jimmy Cothran, a witness, told NBC.
Bourbon Street just before the attack
EARTHCAM
This may be because of local roadwork projects that are underway ahead of next month’s Super Bowl, which is due to be held in the city.
Construction crews began removing and replacing steel bollards on Bourbon Street between Canal Street and St Ann Street last month, according to the Department of Public Works.
FBI now says incident is ‘potential’ terror attack
The FBI, which is is leading the investigation into the attack, is now saying that it is investigating the deaths of 10 people in New Orleans as a “potential terrorism incident”, according to NBC News.
A special agent with the organisation in New Orleans earlier said it was not being considered a “terrorist event.”
The FBI defines domestic terrorism as: “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”
Many injured ‘in critical condition’, says nurse
Twenty six people were being treated in University Medical Center at 7.30am said Jade Francis, a nurse who was at work on the overnight shift.
She told Nola.com that many of the 26 were in critical condition.
Francis added that they were celebrating the start of the new year with their patients when the news broke.
“All of that changed when we got the code yellow over the intercom,” she said. The incident took place at around 3:15am local time, killing 10 and injuring more than 30.
Bomb squad reportedly in French Quarter after suspicious package found
A reporter at the scene of this morning’s attack reported hearing explosions in New Orleans’ French Quarter a few moments ago.
A reporter with WDSU said that the police bomb squad is at the site where a suspicious package was found. They heard officials say “fire in the hole” before an explosion rang out.
Officials have urged people to stay away from the area.
Suspect armed with assault rifle ‘killed by police’
A federal law enforcement source has told NBC News that the suspect was shot and killed by police.
The suspect was reportedly armed with an assault rifle and began firing at police officers after crashing a white pick-up truck into a crowd of people.
Two New Orleans police officers were injured and are in a stable condition in hospital.
Police have so far not confirmed the status of the driver.
Workers continue to examine scene
Emergency services continued their examination of the scene where ten people died after a person in a truck drove into them. The incident happened at around 3.15am, or 9.15am GMT.
Biden briefed and White House ‘offering support’
President Biden has been briefed on the incident that killed ten people in New Orleans this morning, according to a pool report.
The White House said it had offered its support to LaToya Cantrell, the New Orleans mayor, and would continue to monitor the situation throughout the day.
Biden is currently in Wilmington, Delaware — he attended a family wedding on New Year’s Eve, the White House said.
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight and the White House has been in touch with New Orleans Mayor Cantrell to offer support.”
Biden returns to the White House later today.
FBI agent contradicts mayor, saying incident was not terror attack
An FBI special agent contradicted police and local authorities who described the incident in New Orleans as a terror attack.
Aletha Duncan, a special agent for the FBI in New Orleans, told reporters it was not a terrorist attack at a news conference a few minutes ago.
It is unclear whether she misspoke. The FBI has been contacted for comment.
Emergency services attend the scene on Bourbon Street
Attack occurred hours before football game due to be played
The attack occurred hours before New Orleans is due to host the Sugar Bowl, an annual college football game that draws thousands of visitors to the city.
Anne Kirkpatrick, the police chief, said the city had deployed 300 officers and had a strong presence of marked and unmarked vehicles to monitor the new year’s festivities.
Kirkpatrick said the driver had driven around barricades to inflict maximum casualties.
Driver is reportedly dead at the scene
The suspect in the New Orleans terrorist attack is dead at the scene, according to ABC News. It is unclear how he was killed.
FBI to lead investigation
Anne Kirkpatrick, the chief of New Orleans’ police department, said the FBI would lead the investigation into the incident due to the “intentional mindset of this perpetrator”.
Kirkpatrick said she had been in contact with the White House.
Anne Kirkpatrick makes a statement after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans’ Canal and Bourbon Street
GERALD HERBERT/AP
Police attempt to identify victims
Anne Kirkpatrick, the chief of New Orleans’ police department, said New Orleans police were working to identify the victims.
“We do not know at this point how many could be tourists versus locals, but from the information I have right now, it seems the majority are locals versus tourists,” she said.
“It did involve a man driving a pickup truck down Bourbon Street at a very fast pace, and it was very intentional behaviour,” she added.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation. This was more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now.”
Explosive device ‘found on scene’
An apparent improvised explosive device has been located at the scene, according to authorities.
The FBI has taken over the investigation into the terror attack.
Police chief: Driver was ‘hell bent on creating carnage’
Anne Kirkpatrick, the chief of New Orleans’ police department, said the driver of a pick-up truck had deliberately tried to run over as many people as possible.
Kirkpatrick said the driver had driven around barricades and run down people on Bourbon Street before opening fire on responding officers after crashing his vehicle.
The scene on Bourbon Street just before the incident
EARTHCAM
Two officers were shot. They are in a stable condition in hospital.
“He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick said at a news conference.
Mayor describes incident as ‘terrorist attack’
LaToya Cantrell, the mayor of New Orleans, described the incident as a “terrorist attack” at a press conference a few moments ago.
She urged people to stay away from the area.
White truck rammed through barricade ‘at high rate of speed’
An eyewitness reported hearing crashing noises and seeing a white truck slam through a barricade “at a high rate of speed” on Bourbon St.
“We were pretty, pretty close to where it started,” Nicole Mowrer, who was visiting New Orleans from Iowa with her husband Jim, told CBS News.
“Once it was past us, we did hear gunfire, saw police running that direction,” she added. “We stayed in the alcove until the gunfire stopped, came out into the street, and came across a lot of — several people who had been hit, [we] wanted to see what we could do to help.”
Mowrer said she saw multiple victims lying on the ground. None appeared to have gunshot wounds.
Governor urges people to avoid Bourbon Street
Jeff Landry, the governor of Louisiana, said a “horrific act of violence” had taken place. Landry said he was praying for the victims.
“A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning,” Landry wrote in a post on X.
“Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area.”
Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager.
Driver of vehicle started shooting into crowds
The driver got out of their car and started firing a weapon, according to CBS News, citing eyewitnesses.
Responding police then returned fire, according to the report. The driver’s status is unclear.
At least five hospitals have received casualties.
Incident occurred at 3.15am local time
The incident happened at around 3.15am local time (9.15 UK time), according to WGNO, a local news site.
Video posted to social media showed bodies strewn on the ground after a truck ploughed into people on Bourbon Street, a historic area in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
Hundreds of people had been enjoying new year festivities prior to the incident.
Emergency services attend the scene on Bourbon Street
Disaster preparedness agency issues statement
New Orleans’ disaster preparedness agency has issued a statement after a vehicle drove into a large crowd on the corner of Canal and Bourbon Street.
“The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street,” Nola Ready said in a statement.
“There are 30 injured patients that have been transported by NOEMS [New Orleans Emergency Medical Services] and 10 fatalities. Public safety partners are responding on scene. Updates will follow as they are received.”
Ten confirmed dead and mass casualty incident declared
At least ten people have died and dozens have been injured after a vehicle crashed into crowds of revellers in the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
The vehicle reportedly crashed into a large crowd gathered in Bourbon Street in the French Quarter — a popular tourist destination in the Louisiana city.
Witnesses said the driver then got out and started firing a weapon. According to some accounts he was wearing body armour and was in possession of an assault rifle.
A mass casualty incident has been declared and the area has been cordoned off, with a large police presence at the scene.
The area has been cordoned off