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What we know
- At least 15 people were killed and 30 were injured in New Orleans when a person intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street during New Year's celebrations, police said.
- Authorities were looking into a possible connection between the incident in New Orleans and
- The driver was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar , a U.S. citizen born in Texas. He had an ISIS flag on the back of the truck.
- The FBI said it does not believe Jabbar was "solely responsible" for the attack and asked the public for assistance. It said it is investigating Jabbar's "potential associations and affiliations" with terroristic organizations.
- A potential improvised explosive device was in the truck, and other potential IEDs were discovered in the French Quarter, the FBI said.
Investigators examining if New Orleans, Cybertruck suspects connected through military
Investigators are looking into whether there’s any military connection between that suspect in the New Orleans attack and the driver in a Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, two law enforcement sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The driver in New Orleans is dead after shooting at police, and a person was found dead inside the Cybertruck after that vehicle exploded and caught fire, officials have said.
But whether the drivers overlapped in the time they served in the military, or at any locations, was unclear. The sources said it was a potentially notable investigative strand.
The suspect in the New Orleans attack was a Texas man and Army veteran, officials, including President Joe Biden, have said.
Two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation have told NBC News that the suspect in the Las Vegas blast had previous military experience — although they did not elaborate at the time, stressing that the investigation was still unfolding.
The person found dead in the Cybertruck incident has not been publicly identified by law enforcement.
The vehicles used in both incidents were rented through Turo, a car-sharing app, the police chief for Las Vegas said. Turo said it is cooperating fully with investigators.
Biden last night said that investigators were looking into whether the two incidents could be connected.
“We’re tracking the explosion of a Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas,” Biden said then.
“Law enforcement and the intelligence community are investigating this as well — including whether there’s any possible connection with the attack in New Orleans,” he said.
Airlines add flights and flexibility for Sugar Bowl fans, other New Orleans travelers
In the wake of the truck attack, major airlines stepped up with extra flights and added flexibility for Sugar Bowl fans and other New Orleans-bound travelers.
Delta said extra flights and sections added for fans departing from the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed to today, will also shift a day to tomorrow to accommodate them.
American Airlines said it would add a flight to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport tomorrow in response to the situation in New Orleans.
In addition, Delta said ticket-buyers who need to postpone scheduled flights to New Orleans as a result of the Sugar Bowl rescheduling or because the events affect their ability to travel immediately can rebook equivalent seats for flights that will take place within five days at no additional fare cost.
Southwest Airlines said New Orleans-destined passengers can rebook equivalent flights to take place within 14 days at no additional cost.
Mother of New Orleans victim had dinner with her son the night before he died
Matthew Tenedorio, 25, was among the 15 people killed when a truck driven by a man trying to hit people struck crowds in New Orleans celebrating the new year, his mother said.
Cathy Tenedorio, of Carriere, Mississippi, a town around 50 miles northeast of New Orleans, last spoke to her son around 9 p.m.
Matthew Tenedorio, who was born in Mineola on New York’s Long Island, and friends decided to go to the French Quarter in New Orleans, Cathy Tenedorio said in a phone interview.
The next time she saw him was at the morgue, she said. She remembered she kissed and hugged him just last night.
Matthew Tenedorio worked at the Superdome as an audio-visual technician, a GoFundMe campaign for him said. His mother called it his dream job.
"Matthew was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend whose laid-back spirit and infectious laughter brought joy to everyone around him," reads the GoFundMe campaign, verified by the crowdfunding company.
Searches ongoing in Houston after New Orleans attack
Authorities in Houston tonight continued carrying out searches at a location in the city after today’s New Year’s Day vehicle ramming attack in New Orleans, the FBI said.
There have no arrests, and “FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are continuing a court-authorized search of a location near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive,” the FBI said on X.
The suspect in the New Orleans attack is from Texas, officials said. He fired at police and is dead, the FBI has said.
The FBI was expected to be at the Texas site for several more hours, it said.
The agency said in an update late tonight that "FBI special agents and our law enforcement partners are currently conducting a number of court-authorized search warrants in New Orleans and other states" and that its evidence response team is carrying out meticulous work at the crime scene.
The FBI also said today it has set up a digital tip line and is asking anyone with video or other information to contact it.
Federal authorities are on heightened alert for terrorism despite no known threat ahead of several major security events in Washington, including former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral and the inauguration of President-elect Trump.
It comes as authorities investigate the deadly truck ramming attack in New Orleans, where the FBI said an Islamic State group flag was found in the vehicle.
CEO says Ford is ‘deeply saddened’ by attack and cooperating with authorities
The CEO of Ford Motor Co. said that he and the company are “deeply saddened by this violent attack” in New Orleans and that the company is cooperating with investigators.
The suspect, who is dead, used a Ford pickup that he rented from the car-sharing company Turo, officials said. Photos show the truck is a Lightning, an electric vehicle.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and injured, their families and the emergency responders. Ford is, and will continue to work in full cooperation with authorities,” CEO Jim Farley said on X.
Teen who left friend 10 minutes before attack is desperate to find her
A New Orleans teenager left the New Year's celebration about 10 minutes before this morning's deadly attack on Bourbon Street but without a friend she has yet to find.
Isis Montrel, 17, said tonight she has done extensive legwork to find Destiny Thomas, 18, to no avail.
"I managed to get away 10 minutes before it happened, but my friend was still out here, and she still hasn’t come home yet," Montrel said.
She described Thomas as 4 feet 11 inches, "no more than" 130 pounds," and someone who has a "really nice smile." Montrel shared a photo.
"She's not one to sneak out or anything like that," Montrel said.
Montrel took it upon herself to try to locate Thomas, calling every hospital in town, she said, visiting one and even contacting the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office in case the worst had come to pass.
"I'm praying that she made it," said the teenager, accompanied by father Derick Montrel.
Notre Dame head coach: ‘We’re hurting for all those affected’
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said his team's hearts are with the people affected by this morning’s attack in New Orleans, the city that will host the Sugar Bowl tomorrow.
“We’re hurting for all those affected by this tragedy,” Freeman said in an interview broadcast on ESPN tonight.
“The city of New Orleans has welcomed us with open arms, and we join them in prayers for all those victims and families that are affected by this tragedy,” he said.
Notre Dame will play Georgia tomorrow in the Sugar Bowl. The game had been scheduled for New Year’s Day but was postponed after the attack.
“What I told the team is: You know, in the toughest moments, the culture of any program — of a nation — is revealed,” Freeman said. “And I have a lot of faith this country will rally around New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today.”
Sugar Bowl will be ‘extremely safe,’ but have patience, council member says
Visitors for tomorrow’s Sugar Bowl will see increased security and should be prepared for checkpoints and bag searches, a City Council member said tonight, but the event will be safe.
“I think that we will be extremely safe for tomorrow’s game,” at-large council member Jean Paul “JP” Morrell said. “I think it is absolutely an environment in which people will have to have patience.”
The Sugar Bowl, between Notre Dame and Georgia, was supposed to have taken place in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, but it was postponed until 3 p.m. tomorrow local time (4 p.m. ET) after today’s truck attack.
The postponement will allow for additional security measures, college football officials said in announcing the move.
What we know about the victims of the New Orleans truck attack
A former wide receiver at Princeton University, a doting father of two and a recent high school graduate were identified by family members as three of the people killed in the truck attack.
At least 15 people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas plowed a pickup into crowds on Bourbon Street celebrating the new year. He opened fire on responding officers and was killed, officials have said.
Here's what we know about the victims.
