2 Israelis injured in New Orleans attack with suspected ISIS ties that killed 14

By BEN SALES and ALAN SMASON

(JTA) — Two Israelis were among those injured in Wednesday’s truck ramming attack in New Orleans, which authorities are investigating as the work of a terror cell tied to Daesh (ISIS or the Islamic State).

The two Israelis were placed on ventilators to assist them with their breathing, but are not considered in immediate danger. A minor, a Jewish girl visiting from Ft. Myers, FL., is also listed among the injured. (The CCJN does not publish stories on minors without parental permission.)

A representative from the Israeli Consulate to the Southwest United States in Houston was dispatched to meet with the two young adult Israelis prior to their parents arriving in New Orleans tonight. The Israeli parents have asked the news media for privacy at this time.

The attack, perpetrated in the first hours of the new year, killed 14 people at a crowded celebration in the city’s French Quarter, and wounded dozens. The attacker, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, was killed in a firefight with police.

Jabbar, 42, had an ISIS flag attached to a pole on the rear of the car, and authorities have now determined he had worked alone.

Jabbar had reportedly posted five videos to his Facebook account prior to the attack affiliating himself with the Islamist terror group, and had explosives in the truck along with firearms that were found there.

Jabbar was a military veteran of the U.S. Army and had reportedly converted to Islam.

The attack occurred on the same day that a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing the truck’s driver. Law enforcement agencies have also determined the two events are not connected in any way.