Iraq arrests IS suspect linked to deadly New Orleans truck attack that killed 14 on New Year's Day

Iraqi authorities have arrested a suspected member of the Islamic State group for inciting a January truck-ramming attack that killed 14 people in the US city of New Orleans, Iraq's judiciary said Sunday.

The city in the southern state of Louisiana was plunged into a panic early on New Year's Day when a US army veteran, who the FBI said had pledged loyalty to IS, ploughed a pickup truck into revellers in the crowded French Quarter, famed for its nightlife.

Police killed the suspect in an exchange of fire. 

The New Orleans attack came 10 days after a similar car-ramming assault at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg that killed five and wounded more than 200.

In that case, police arrested a man and said he appeared to be mentally disturbed.

President Joe Biden called New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell "to offer full federal support following the horrific news," the White House said.

"There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities," Biden said in a statement.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry described the incident as a "horrific act of violence." City authorities announced a rallying point for family members flocking to check on loved ones at the University Medical Center.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump linked the attack to illegal immigration, although police have yet to indicate the nationality or identity of the assailant.

"When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in the country... it turned out to be true," Trump posted on social media.

Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council said that an IS member "was arrested for inciting the January 2025 truck attack in the United States" after Iraq received a request from Washington to assist in the investigation.

It added that the suspect is "a member of the external operations office of the Daesh terrorist organisation", using the Arabic acronym for IS.

The suspect will be tried in Iraq under the anti-terrorism law, it said.

Although the country proclaimed the defeat of the jihadist group on its territory in 2017, IS cells have remained active and carry out sporadic attacks against the army and police.

A recent UN report said government-led counter-terrorism operations have resulted in the deaths of nearly half of IS's senior leaders in Iraq.

IS declared a "caliphate" in 2014 after capturing large parts of Iraq and Syria, beginning a rule marked by atrocities.