A soldier on Dauphine Street in New Orleans on January 2, after the car-ramming attack. AP
A soldier on Dauphine Street in New Orleans on January 2, after the car-ramming attack. AP
A soldier on Dauphine Street in New Orleans on January 2, after the car-ramming attack. AP
A soldier on Dauphine Street in New Orleans on January 2, after the car-ramming attack. AP

New Orleans attack: What we know so far


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Questions remain after a driver sped through a crowd of pedestrians on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter as people were celebrating the New Year. The FBI is investigating the assault as an act of terrorism.

The National takes a look at what we know so far about the attack:

What happened?

Police said the driver steered around a police blockade and raced through a crowd along Bourbon Street at about 3.15am on Wednesday as revellers celebrated the New Year. At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured. Two police officers were wounded in a shootout with the driver, who was killed.

Suspected explosive devices were also discovered in the French Quarter, the FBI said. Surveillance footage showed three men and a woman placing one of several improvised explosive devices in different locations, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by AP.

The FBI had previously said it believed Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar had not acted alone, but it reversed its opinion on Thursday.

"Today, the FBI briefed me that, as of now, we have no information that anyone else is involved in the attack," President Joe Biden told reporters.

Who is the driver and what was his motive?

The FBI said Jabbar was a US citizen and army veteran from Texas. An ISIS flag was found on the pick-up truck's tow bar, the FBI said. The agency said Jabbar had posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack, in which he aligned himself with ISIS and said he had joined the militant group last summer.

In one video, the FBI said the attacker expressed a desire to kill his friends and family, but wanted to attack Bourbon Street so the media headlines would focus on what he called the war between “believers and disbelievers".

“He was 100 per cent inspired by ISIS,” FBI deputy assistant director Christopher Raia said.

Mr Biden later said that federal authorities and the intelligence community "are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contact connection" that may be relevant to the attack.

Jabbar served more than 10 years in the military as a human resources specialist and an IT specialist, according to the Pentagon, which said he had been posted to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He then transferred into the US Army Reserve in 2015, the service said in a statement. Jabbar served until July 2020, leaving the military with the rank of staff sergeant.

He held a degree in computing from Georgia State University and lived in Houston, Texas, where he had worked as a real estate agent.

Court records show Jabbar faced a deteriorating financial situation in 2022 while separating from his then-wife. He was reportedly $27,000 behind on house payments, had accumulated $16,000 in credit card debt and wanted to quickly finalise the divorce.

At the time, court documents showed he made about $10,000 a month doing business development and other work for the consulting firm Deloitte.

What have authorities learnt in their investigation?

Guns and pipe bombs were found in the suspect's vehicle, according to the state police bulletin. The devices were concealed inside coolers and wired for detonation with a remote control that also was found in the vehicle.

Where did the attack occur?

The car-ramming took place in the heart of the French Quarter, a historic district known for its vibrant nightlife with many bars, restaurants and jazz venues.

The city was at the time hosting tens of thousands of people who had come to see a major American university football game called the Sugar Bowl, which has now been postponed.

City documents show New Orleans has been in the middle of a major project to remove and replace bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street. That project began in November and involves installing removable stainless steel bollards.

Wednesday's attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon to carry out mass violence. The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against.

Last month a Saudi doctor, 50, ploughed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a nine-year-old boy.

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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT

Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')

IF YOU GO
 
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?

If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.

Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.

Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.

Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).

Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal. 

Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.

By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.

As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.

Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.

He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.” 

This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”

Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

Updated: January 03, 2025, 9:40 AM`