US President-elect Donald Trump linked the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on Wednesday (January 1) to illegal immigration, an issue he raised repeatedly during his election campaign.

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In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump suggested that the suspect, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was not a US citizen. However, this claim has not been confirmed by law authorities. "When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true," Trump wrote.

The police have not disclosed the nationality or identity of the attacker.

Also read: New Orleans attack: 10 killed as man ploughs truck into New Year crowd; suspect shot dead

"The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before. Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones, including the brave officers of the New Orleans Police Department. The Trump Administration will fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil," he added.

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Meanwhile, President Joe Biden also condemned the violence, saying, "There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities."

What happened in New Orleans?

Police reported that a man ploughed his pickup truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 am on Wednesday. The incident resulted in the deaths of 10 people, while 35 others were injured.

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Also read: What we know so far about New Year’s day attack in New Orleans

Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick described the driver "hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," adding that the driver attempted to "run over as many people as he could." Two police officers were also shot by the driver, but they are now in stable condition.

The FBI confirmed that the suspect died after engaging in a firefight with the police. Once the truck came to a stop, the suspect reportedly opened fire on officers, who returned fire. Further details about the suspect's identity have not been released.

(With inputs from agencies)