dpa
New York
New Orleans reportedly lacked bollards that could have stopped the driver from going on the deadly rampage on New Year’s morning, with the perpetrator driving around a police car that was intended to block access, authorities have said.
“We had patrol cars out there as a hard target,” said New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick at a news conference on Wednesday.
“This particular terrorist drove around onto the sidewalk and got around the hard target.” At least 15 people were killed and dozens more injured after the suspect intentionally drove into a crowd of New Year’s revellers in New Orleans’s French Quarter, a popular nightlife district renowned for its Mardi Gras celebrations.
The suspect, who was a US citizen born in Texas, allegedly engaged in a gunfight with officers before being killed in the confrontation, investigators said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said the incident is being treated as an “act of terrorism.” Emergency services found possible explosives and a flag from the extremist group Islamic State in the vehicle. According to the FBI, there were also weapons in the pickup truck.
Possible explosive devices were also discovered inside and outside the car. It was also initially unclear whether the perpetrator had accomplices.
The bollards, which normally block traffic during major events on Bourbon Street, were not in use on New Year’s Eve. According to information on the Public Works website of the City of New Orleans, they were to be replaced.
Construction began in November and was set to continue until February, when the city is set to host the Super Bowl.
A police car was parked at the site as a replacement. Other barriers and police patrols were also deployed to protect pedestrians, authorities said.
“We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it,” Kirkpatrick said. Exactly how the perpetrator managed to drive a pickup truck past the safety precautions and into the crowd is being investigated.
Elsewhere in the US on New Year’s morning, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. The incidents occurred a few hours apart.
US investigators are looking into a possible connection between the deadly car-ramming attack in New Orleans and the Las Vegas incident, in which seven people suffered minor injuries and the male driver of the exploded vehicle was burnt to death.
There are indications of a possible link between the two drivers through their work for the US military, according to US media reports.
It remains unclear whether the times when the men were working in a military area - or any other location - overlapped.
The Denver7 channel reported, citing official sources, that the two drivers worked at the same US military base. According to the authorities, this is a potentially important line of enquiry, NBC News reported.
In Las Vegas, investigators found charred remains of petrol canisters and fireworks on the loading area of the burnt Tesla. So far, there is no evidence of a connection to Islamic State in the Las Vegas case and police said it appears to be an isolated incident.
Both the pickup truck that drove into the crowd in New Orleans and the Tesla Cybertruck had been hired through the major US car hire company Turo, police said.
The Cybertruck is an electric pick-up with a distinctive stainless steel body, built by the US electric car manufacturer Tesla, whose chief executive is Elon Musk.
The tech billionaire, who also owns the internet platform X, is considered a close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, whose company owns the Las Vegas hotel.
Investigations are ongoing for both incidents.
