Shamsud Din Jabbar, the Texas man who crashed his rented pickup truck into people celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Wednesday, and his Tesla Cyber outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas hours later. The man involved in the truck explosion, Matthew Leiblesberger, was an Army soldier who served at Fort Liberty and was deployed to Aghanistan in 2009, authorities said.
But a defense official told Fox News there was no evidence the attacks were related based on military service. Both served at Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, but were there at different times. The North Carolina base currently houses more than 50,000 military personnel.
Authorities continued to release new information at separate press conferences Thursday, with FBI Assistant Director Christopher Reier telling reporters in New Orleans that there was no “definitive link” between the attack and the explosion. He said he has not done so.
Explosive material found at AIRBNB in New Orleans, possibly linked to Bourbon Street terrorists: Report
Matthew Livelesberger poses in an undated photo. (Fox News)
In Las Vegas, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said both men went to Afghanistan in 2009, but potential ties there are still under investigation. From 2007 to 2015, Jabbar was a Human Resources Specialist and IT Specialist. Livelsberger was an Army Green Beret with the 10th Special Forces Group.
“There is no evidence that they were in the same province, same location, same unit in Afghanistan,” McMahill said. “Again, we are still investigating.”
The military did not immediately respond to a request for details about its stay in Afghanistan.
What we know about the victims of the New Orleans terrorist attack
Shamsud-Din Jabbar is seen in an undated photo released by the FBI after he was killed in a shootout with responding police officers after a pickup truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. (FBI)
He said the two used the Turo app to rent the electric pickup truck used in the incident.
“We are saddened by the violence that occurred in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers go out to the victims and their families.” Tulo said In a statement. “We are actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies investigating both incidents. We do not believe that either of the tenants involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks pose a safety threat. I don't think he had a criminal history.”
Leiblsberger, 37, was an active duty soldier at the time of his death.
Leiblesberger was the only person killed in the Cybertruck explosion, McMahill said. Investigators believe the man shot himself in the head before the truck exploded, sending flames, fireworks and debris flying upwards right next to the hotel's glass doors, which were not damaged. Ta.
Matthew Livelesberger in photos. (Fox News)
FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans added that investigators are investigating potential terrorist ties to Libersberger, but as of Thursday afternoon had found nothing.
“The question of whether there is a global investigation is definitely true, and as I said, we have investigative leads all over the world,” he told reporters. “As far as we know at this time, there is no information linking this individual to any terrorist organizations around the world. But obviously that is the purpose of the investigation, to rule out any terrorist links.”
Meanwhile, authorities said the New Orleans attack was clearly inspired by terrorism. Officials said at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured in the incident. Jabbar then fired shots at responding officers, police said. They fought back and neutralized the threat.
This social media photo from Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk), Louisiana, in November 2013 shows New Orleans attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar. (1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, via Facebook, via Reuters)
“Let me be clear on this point: This was an act of terrorism,” Raia told reporters at a press conference Thursday. “It was a deliberate and evil act.”
Jabbar, 42, crashed into a truck and died in a gunfight with police. Police said they found an Islamic State group flag on the rented Ford F-150 EV Jabber used in the attack. Authorities said the suspect had posted a video on social media pledging allegiance to Islamic State before the attack.
“He was 100% inspired by ISIS,” Raia said, but added that investigators believe he acted alone. They were not looking for additional persons of interest Thursday.
New Orleans police and federal agents are investigating a suspected terrorist attack that occurred on New Year's Day, Wednesday, January 1, 2025, on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. (Chris Granger/New Orleans Legal Advocacy Bureau, via AP)
Laia said the video shows Jabbar placing two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in coolers along Bourbon Street. One was at the intersection of Bourbon and Orléans, and the other was about two blocks away.
FBI identifies suspect in terrorist act after Bourbon Street attack
Security cameras showed multiple people stopping, staring at the cooler, and then walking away. Those individuals are asked to contact the FBI.
“I'd like to talk to anyone who was in French Quarter on New Year's Eve or early in the morning on New Year's Day,” he said. “This includes people who were seen near one of the two IEDs on Bourbon Street. The IED was inside a cooler and people probably stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued walking. It would have been.”
He said they were not considered suspects “in any way.”
Law enforcement officials cordoned off Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Thursday, January 2, 2024. A man plowed his car into a crowd of New Year's Eve revelers on Wednesday, killing several people and injuring dozens. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
“We want to talk to them as witnesses and we want to know what they saw and when,” he added.
Mr. Jabbar is an Army veteran who served as a human resources specialist and IT specialist from March 2007 to 2015. He then served as an IT specialist in the Army Reserve until July 2020.
Most recently, he worked for Deloitte, a large international accounting firm, and reportedly earned about $10,000 a month. FOX business.
Laia said the investigation is still in the “very early stages,” but the FBI is trying to establish a link between the New Orleans attack and the explosion of a rented Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. He said no.
David Katz, a former federal employee and firearms trainer who is now CEO of Global Security Group, told FOX News Digital that if there were any possible military connections, He said it would be a red flag reminiscent of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He met bomber Timothy McVeigh and accomplice Terry Nichols while in the military.
“It's worth noting that military service can bring like-minded people together,” he says. “And of course, those people have military training, so they can be very dangerous.”
Both investigations are still ongoing.
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Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry condemned the ideology behind the Bourbon Street attack and praised law enforcement.
“To protect Americans from evil, we must crush evil,” he said.
Fox News' Liz Friden and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
