US President Joe Biden has condemned the horrific car ramming incident that took place during the New Year celebrations in New Orleans on Wednesday (US local time).
In a statement released by the White House, President Biden said that he is being continually briefed since early morning by the American federal law enforcement leadership and the homeland security team, which includes the Secretary of Homeland Security Ali Mayorkas, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, and the Mayor of New Orleans regarding the horrific incident that occurred.
Biden confirmed that the FBI is leading the investigation and is treating the incident as an act of terrorism.
“I am grateful for the brave and swift response of local law enforcement in preventing even greater death and injury.
I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,” he said.
He added, “I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share.
In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday.
There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
He also shared the message on X.
At least 15 people were killed, and more than dozens were injured when a vehicle crashed into crowds on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during the early hours of Wednesday (US local time), as reported by CNN.
The incident occurred during New Year’s Eve celebrations near the historic French Quarter.
Crowds had gathered to attend an open-air concert and New Year’s countdown, with restaurants offering special deals and performances, CNN reported quoting the city’s official website.
Many of the celebrations had been aimed at college football fans who were coming to the city for the Allstate Sugar Bowl, scheduled to take place on Wednesday (US Local time), including a parade that had taken place Tuesday.
The Sugar Bowl is an annual college football game that draws fans from all over the US, with the University of Georgia taking on Notre Dame.
As per comments made by law enforcement officials to CNN, the FBI is looking into possible connections of the suspect in the deadly New Orleans crowd attack who may have been involved.