31 YO British national dead in New Orleans vehicle attack: UK's foreign office confirms

A British national was among the 14 people who lost their lives in the deadly vehicle attack in New Orleans on January 1. The news was confirmed by the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom on Friday. In a statement, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said that it is currently working towards supporting the family of the victim.

“We are supporting the family of a British National who has died in New Orleans and are in contact with local authorities,” the FCDO spokesperson said in a statement, BBC reported. A 42-year-old man named  Shamsud-Din Jabbar ploughed a pickup truck through a crowd on the city’s Bourbon Street before he was killed by police.

While investigating the case, the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that an Islamic State group flag was found inside the vehicle. Apart from this, 2 improvised explosive devices were also found nearby.

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Who was the Briton killed in the attack?

Following FCDO’s confirmation, the UK’s Metropolitan Police said that the victim was named Edward Pettifer. He was a 31-year-old man who came from Chelsea, London, BBC reported. In a statement, Pettifer’s family said that they were shocked after hearing the news. “The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many,” the family said in a statement.

“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. Thank you,” the statement further reads. The British authorities noted that Pettifer was a well-known American college football player and an aspiring nurse.

Meanwhile, investigators in the US said that some of the injured in the devastating attack have been discharged from hospitals. However, they maintained that more than a dozen of them are still being treated in the ICU. Bourbon Street was eventually opened to the public on Thursday morning ahead of the Sugar Bowl, a much-anticipated college American football match between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia, that draws thousands of attendees.

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With inputs from agencies.