President Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Wednesday “to offer full federal support” after a truck driver killed at least 10 people who were celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bourbon Street.
The retiring 82-year-old president placed the call from his private residence in Wilmington, Del., ahead of a planned trip to Camp David in Maryland.
“President Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell this morning to offer full federal support following the horrific news that a driver killed and injured dozens of individuals in New Orleans overnight,” the White House said.
“The President has been briefed on the latest developments by senior FBI and DHS leadership and his homeland security team, and he will continue to be briefed on this incident throughout the day. FBI is leading the investigation and is working closely with local and state officials.”
The motive of the driver, who reportedly was shot and killed by police, was not immediately known, though the vehicular carnage along the popular touristic street drew immediate parallels to well-known terrorist acts.
The FBI confirmed in a Wednesday morning statement that it was investigating the “act of terrorism” after claiming an hour before that the slaughter was “not a terrorist event” — despite “improvised explosive devices” having been recovered.
“This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism,” the bureau said.
Cantrell had declared in a press conference beforehand: “The city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called the slaughter “an act of pure evil” and demanded accountability for any living participants in the attack.
“The vicious attack on innocent people celebrating the New Year in New Orleans early this morning was an act of pure evil, and justice must be swift for anyone who was involved,” Johnson said.
