Death Toll Rises to 15 in New Orleans 'Terrorism' Attack

The death toll in the deadly New Orleans attack has now risen to at least 15 people, the FBI announced on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 1.

The updated fatalities were confirmed just after the suspect in the attack was identified. 

The deceased suspect responsible for driving through a crowd of people celebrating the new year on famed Bourbon Street has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said in a news release.

The FBI also confirmed the presence of an apparent ISIS flag in the Ford pickup truck used in the attack and they are “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” according to the news release.

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The federal agency noted that “weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle” and additional potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter. 

“The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe,” the release said. 

During a press conference on Wednesday, authorities said they don’t believe that Jabbar acted alone in the attack and they, along with the FBI, are asking for the public’s help with any information they may have.

The FBI said in the release that a digital tip line has been set up at: www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or calls can be placed to 1-800-CALL-FBI. 

Local Texas records show that suspect Jabbar was previously charged with two minor crimes. He was arrested in Katy, Texas, in 2002  for misdemeanor theft and in 2005 he was arrested for driving with an invalid license, also a misdemeanor,” according to the New York Times.

The deadly attack, now considered an act of terrorism by the FBI,  occurred around 3:15 a.m. local time on Jan. 1 when a pickup truck plowed through Bourbon Street, killing 10 people and injuring close to 35 others. 

After the driver crashed the truck, he was then involved in a police shootout which left two officers injured, but in stable condition. The New Orleans Police Department previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the driver died in the exchange. 

“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 FBI 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.”

“It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation. This is more complex and serious based on the information we have,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Chief Anne Kirkpatrick previously said.

“This perpetrator, who went around our barricades in order to conduct this, he was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did,” Kirkpatrick said of the suspect.