A British man was among those killed in a shock New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, UK police have said.
Edward Pettifer, from Chelsea, west London, was one of 14 people who died after alleged Isis supporter Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through crowds of revellers in the opening moments of 2025.
The Metropolitan Police, who confirmed Pettifer, 31, had been killed, said his family have been left “devastated” by his death.
“He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many,” the family said in a statement.
Edward Pettifer died after alleged Isis supporter Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through crowds of revellers on New Year’s Day
METROPOLITAN POLICE
“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack.
“We request that we can grieve the loss of Ed as a family in private,” they added.
The British Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in New Orleans and are in contact with local authorities.”
Meanwhile, the coroner in New Orleans said Pettifer’s preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma – the same as all the others who died on January 1.
TERROR IN NEW ORLEANS – READ MORE:
Vigils and memorials in New Orleans’s French Quarter after the attack
REUTERS
Authorities in the US have named Andrew Dauphin, Brandon Taylor, Elliot Wilkinson, Hubert Gauthreaux, Kareem Badawi, Martin Bech, Matthew Tenedorio, Ni’Kyra Dedeaux, Nicole Perez, Reggie Hunter, Terrence Kennedy and William DiMaio and an as-yet-unnamed woman as the others who died in the attack.
The FBI has said 35 people were injured in the attack, but it expects this number to rise in the coming days as more people go to hospital or contact authorities.
The University Medical Centre New Orleans has said it has treated 30 people who were injured in the attack.
As of Saturday, 13 remain in hospital, including eight in intensive care.
New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar was a military veteran
YOUTUBE
The FBI is continuing its investigation into the attack – but it has sparked fears over safety at Donald Trump’s inauguration in 16 days’ time.
Yesterday, the White House said it was working closely with Trump’s transition team to guard against any possible attacks aimed at the January 20 inauguration.
President Joe Biden’s national security spokesman John Kirby said the White House was also keeping Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Mike Waltz, up-to-date about investigations into the New Year’s Day attack – as well as a separate vehicle explosion in Las Vegas outside a Trump International Hotel.
Both attacks involved US Army personnel – New Orleans attacker Jabbar was a military veteran, while Las Vegas suspect Matthew Livelsberger was an “active” special forces member.
