PM Modi condemns ‘cowardly terrorist attack’ in New Orleans that killed 15

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” in US’s New Orleans.

Where the attacker rammed a crowd of New Year revellers with a truck and shot at them, which left 15 people dead. In a tweet, PM Modi extended his condolences to the families of the victims and hoped they would “find strength and solace” following the attack.

“We strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack in New Orleans. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May they find strength and solace as they heal from this tragedy,” he said.

WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW ORLEANS?

On Wednesday, the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, first rammed the crowd in New Orleans and then opened fire at people, killing 15 and injuring at least 30 others. He was subsequently killed in a shootout with police after the incident.

The suspect, a US Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, had an ISIS flag on his truck and may have carried out the carnage with the assistance of others, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said. The FBI said it was probing the incident as a terrorist attack.

Anne Kirkpatrick, the New Orleans police superintendent, said at a press conference that the suspect “was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”

Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, along with other devices. The ISIS flag was found on the vehicle’s trailer hitch, news agency The Associated Press reported.

Jabbar was a regular soldier from March 2007 until January 2015 and then in the Army Reserve from January 2015 until July 2020. He was deployed in Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the end of service.