United States President-elect Donald Trump called the New Orleans Bourbon Street attack an "act of pure evil." The crime rate at the country has spiked drastically, Donald Trump said while extending his solidarity to the kith and kin of the victims of the attack that shocked the US on New Year's Eve.
"When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true," Trump said in a statement on the incident Wednesday.
'PURE EVIL': President-elect Trump scorches Democrats, blaming their policies for the Bourbon Street bloodbath, pledging full support to law enforcement and saying, "Our hearts are with all the innocent victims and their loved ones." pic.twitter.com/1RZ4eA0OzZ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 1, 2025
"The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!"
A driver crashed his pickup truck into a crowd celebrating New Year's Day in New Orleans' French Quarter and opened fire, killing 10 people and injuring more than 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was a potential act of terrorism.
The suspect died after a shootout with police, law enforcement officials said."This man was trying to run over as many people as he could," Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said at a televised press conference on Wednesday.
New Orleans Bourbon Street attack
The attacker, who killed at least 10 people and injured 30 others on Wednesday morning died after he engaged police personnel at the scene in a gunfight. While Fox News confirmed that the man was not taken alive from the scene, it was not immediately known if he shot himself or was neutralised by the officers.
."The incident occurred at 3:15 a.m. at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon Streets, a historic tourist destination in the city's French Quarter known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, fired at police and struck two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed.
The officers were in stable condition, she added."We know the perpetrator has been killed," said New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas. "As we search for a motive, remember there is no making sense of evil."There was no immediate word on the driver's identity.
More than 300 officers were on duty at the time of the incident, police said. The city hosts the Sugar Bowl, a classic American college football game, each New Year's Day, and will also be the site of the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 9.New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called the incident a "terrorist attack."
The FBI said in a statement that it was investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. Initially, Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office, had said it was not a terrorist event.Duncan said a suspected improvised explosive device was found.'
