Death toll rises to 15 in New Orleans pickup truck attack

The death toll in a pickup truck attack in New Orleans, Louisiana has risen to 15, New Orleans Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna said .

"It will take several days to perform all autopsies. Once we complete the autopsies and talk with the next of kin, we will release the identifications of the victims," McKenna said in a statement.

Earlier, 35 other people were also reported injured when the truck plowed through the heart of the French Quarter around 3.15 a.m. (0915GMT) Wednesday. The area is popular with tourists and is a hotspot for celebrations around major holidays, especially New Year's Eve.

Police said the attacker drove the truck onto a sidewalk and around a police car that was parked to block traffic from entering the area to carry out the attack. About 400 officers were deployed to protect the area.

The FBI has said it does not believe the man who rammed the pickup truck into the New Year's partygoers, who has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen and Army veteran, acted alone.

Multiple weapons, a Daesh/ISIS terror group flag and a potential improvised explosive device were found inside the truck, according to the FBI.

The FBI has established a perimeter and is urging the public to steer clear of the area, adding that no arrests have been made at this time.

US President Joe Biden said Wednesday he has directed his senior officials "to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible" after a truck-ramming attack in New Orleans' historic French Quarter killed 15 people.

In his address to the nation, Biden described the attack “despicable" and said: "I want you to know I grieve with you. Our nation grieves with you as you mourn and as you heal."

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