The Mexican government said Wednesday that two Mexicans were injured in the New Year’s Day truck attack in New Orleans that claimed the lives of 15 people.
In a post to social media on Wednesday night, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said that United States authorities had confirmed that “two Mexican people were affected by the terrible attack in the early hours of today in New Orleans.”
Última Hora. La Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores informa que las autoridades estadounidenses acaban de confirmar que dos personas mexicanas resultaron afectadas por el lamentable atentado ocurrido en la madrugada de hoy en Nuevo Orleans.
Ambos se reportan estables.
El…
— Relaciones Exteriores (@SRE_mx) January 2, 2025
The ministry said that both Mexican victims were reported in “stable” condition. It didn’t identify the victims or say what injuries they sustained.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that the two Mexicans were visiting New Orleans.
The SRE said that the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans is in contact with the families of the Mexican victims and is providing them with the assistance they require.
The two Mexicans are among more than 30 people who were injured when a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street in the city’s French Quarter.
Among those killed were “an 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton football star,” according to the Associated Press.
The suspect, identified as 42-year-old U.S. citizen Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar of Texas, was killed in a shootout with police.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that the FBI had informed him that “mere hours before the attack,” the suspect “posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS,” the Islamic State terrorist organization.
FBI Update on Bourbon Street Terrorist Attack: https://t.co/jFrEkJVqRO
Anyone with information, photos, or video should call the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI or visit https://t.co/S8bFkjWn1O pic.twitter.com/Dl4KUvm9Ic
— FBI New Orleans (@FBINewOrleans) January 2, 2025
The FBI said in a statement that “an ISIS flag was located in the vehicle” — a Ford pickup truck.
“The FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations. Weapons and a potential IED [improvised explosive device] were located in the subject’s vehicle,” the statement said.
Sheinbaum condemned the attack in a social media post on Wednesday and at her morning press conference on Thursday.
“Our solidarity with the families of the victims and with the people of the United States,” she said Wednesday.
With reports from El Universal and Reforma
