FBI investigating deadly New Orleans vehicle attack as act of terrorism

• At least one improvised explosive device was found on the scene, said FBI New Orleans special agent-in-charge Alethea Duncan. Officials are "working on confirming if this was a viable device or not." The FBI said other potential IEDs were also found in the French Quarter.
• Of those killed and injured, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said, little was known Wednesday morning, but she said it appeared that most were locals.

Zoom in: The FBI identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas.

• Jabbar appears to have been driving a rented Ford truck. Officials found an ISIS flag inside the truck, as well as multiple weapons and a "potential" IED, the FBI said.
• After Jabbar drove through the crowd, he began shooting at police, who returned fire. Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene, the FBI said.

The man, since identified as Jabbar, drove down Bourbon Street "at a very fast pace," indicating "very intentional behavior [and] trying to run over as many people as he possibly could," Kirkpatrick said.

• Kirkpatrick said he drove a pickup truck down Bourbon Street with "clear intent."
• "He was hell bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did," Kirkpatrick said, adding that two NOPD officers are among those injured.

What we're hearing: The scene in the French Quarter Wednesday morning was sleepy much like after any big night downtown, Axios' Chelsea Brasted reported from Bourbon Street Wednesday morning.

• But dozens of NOPD cars lined the streets around a cordoned-off section of Bourbon Street. Residents and visitors alike paused to peer past the police tape and wonder what was going on while local shops, bars, and restaurants opened their doors for business.
• One woman jogged up to a Louisiana State Police vehicle blocking a French Quarter street, asking the driver "is that my baby? They said my daughter got hit by a truck."
• Photos circulated on social media Wednesday showing bloodied, severely wounded victims laying on Bourbon Street after the attack.

A witness told Axios he saw a white Ford truck hit two pedicabs and plow through a movable metal barricade, striking multiple people.

• "He hit them like boom, boom, boom," said Raheem Willis, who watched the person driving erratically from a nearby Krystal restaurant around 3 a.m.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been in touch with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and the White House, she said. Landry on X called the event "a horrific act of violence."

City officials warned people early Wednesday to "get yourself away from the area" as officials respond and investigate.

• The victims were transported to five area hospitals, NOLA Ready officials said: University Medical, Touro, East Jefferson General, the Ochsner Medical Center main facility on Jefferson and the Ochsner Baptist Campus.

Context: Downtown New Orleans is a New Year's hotspot, especially with college football's Sugar Bowl scheduled later Wednesday only one mile from the scene of the attack.

• The game was postponed 24 hours because of the attack, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said Wednesday. Notre Dame was scheduled to play Georgia in the game. Go deeper.
• Vehicle-resistant bollards are typically in place during busy nights at the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets, preventing drivers from heading down Bourbon Street. But they've been under construction as the city prepares to host the NFL's Super Bowl in February.
• Officials do not block Canal, one of the city's most-trafficked thoroughfares.
• The driver, Kirkpatrick said, drove past barricades to get to the Bourbon Street crowds.

Editor's note: This is a breaking story and will continue to be updated.