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The fun and revelry of New Year’s Eve came to an abrupt halt early Wednesday morning in New Orleans, as a pickup truck fatally mowed down 15 people and injured dozens more before the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was killed in a shootout with New Orleans police. The aftermath of the incident now has investigators asking how it could have been prevented, and whether the driver was a lone wolf, or if he had help carrying out his diabolical plan. ABC News correspondent Jim Ryan has been in the Big Easy uncovering the latest on the incident; he appeared on the WOR Morning Show to describe the evidence police have recovered that seems to suggest that Jabbar may have had help with the attack.
“First of all, there’s that ISIS flag that was flying from the vehicle,” Ryan told host Larry Mendte. “It’s certainly a mass murder, when you talk about so many people who die in one incident. Terrorism would suggest there were others involved in this, and different investigative strands have pointed in that direction. We know that two IED’s were found in the pickup truck itself, including one that was supposed to be remotely-controlled. So, I think there are lots of strands that are pointing off into the direction of a conspiracy.”
Timing was also a critical element of the attack, as barricades that would have closed off Bourbon Street to vehicles were missing. “There are pop-up barricades that come up from the street. Bourbon Street becomes a pedestrian avenue after dark, whether it’s Mardi Gras or any day of the week… but the city was in the process of upgrading those to a much more reinforced bollard that would be almost impossible for a vehicle to get through. That was to be done in advance of the Super Bowl, which will be played here in a few weeks [February 9th]. It wasn’t done before New Year’s Eve, and unfortunately, it was fairly easy for Shamsud-Din Jabbar to drive that pickup truck around the barricades and then directly up Bourbon Street.”
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