FBI officials told reporters on Sunday that New Orleans terror suspect Shamsuddin Jabar had previously traveled to Egypt and Canada in 2023, seeking clues about his radicalization and possible contacts with the Islamic State group. He said he would investigate what happened.
As Breitbart News reported, the gunman drove a truck into a crowd of revelers on New Year's Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more.
Jabbar, who died in a shootout with police after carrying out the attack, was a 42-year-old US Army veteran. sworn loyalty He appealed to Islamic State in a video posted on Facebook. Police found an ISIS flag in his truck, along with weapons and explosives.
“I wanted to record this message for my family. I wanted them to know that I joined ISIS earlier this year,” Jabbar said. said At the beginning of a video. He also informed the family that his original plan was to kill the entire family and broadcast their deaths so the world would “witness the murder of the apostates.”
Lionel Martill, FBI Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Field Office said Mr. Jabbar visited Cairo, Egypt from June 22 to July 3, 2023. Immediately after returning from Egypt, he flew to Ontario, Canada, where he stayed from July 10 to 13, 2023.
“Our agents have no knowledge of where he went, who he met with, and how those trips may or may not relate to his actions in our city of New Orleans. We’re getting answers,” Marcil said.
Canada's Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty statement On Sunday, Jabbar confirmed that he traveled from Houston to Canada in July 2023.
“Canadian authorities continue to work closely with U.S. authorities, including the FBI, on this investigation,” McGuinty said.
The FBI said Jabbar lives in a Muslim community north of Houston, Texas, and had visited New Orleans in October and November 2024. used “Smart glasses” for recording Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street was the scene of the New Year's Day attack.
According to Mircil, Jabbar was in possession of smart glasses when he launched the terrorist attack.
“We believe he was wearing them the entire evening. There is no indication that he was actually recording, but he was wearing those glasses,” he said.
Mr. Jabbar's relatives publicly expressed surprise at his radicalization. Although other members of his extended family were Christians, he converted to Islam as an adult, as did his father and some of his siblings. Although his family reports there are few signs of religious extremism, some of his friends have moved to Muslim-majority areas near Houston and are isolated from many of their previous social contacts. He told the media that he has become more interested in his religion over the past year. .
Jabbar has been married and divorced three times, and his third divorce in 2022 appears to have been extremely bitter, as he was ordered by a court to stop making threatening phone calls to his ex-wife. Another ex-wife said, “As his behavior became increasingly unpredictable and appeared to be influenced by his religious views, she began to limit his contact with their children.” new york times (New York Times) Profile published Saturday.
One of Mr Jabbar's half-brothers said he was “anxious” and upset after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, calling the Gaza war a “genocide on both sides” and “inhumane”. He said that he commented that
Jabar became noticeably harsher and more vocal about conservative Muslim views during this period. He uploaded his thoughts on Islamic teachings to SoundCloud, including criticizing alcohol, drugs, crime, and rap music as “things that Allah has forbidden us.”
Mr. Jabbar's listening history on SoundCloud suggests that he may have honed in on some extremist views over the past year, but he has Until his last recording, there was little to suggest he was steeped in Islamic State ideology. bayat, A ritual to declare allegiance to ISIS. Terrorism experts said he followed the correct procedures. bayat, This is a potentially important detail, as ISIS is particular about performing such rituals properly.
Members of both of Mr. Jabbar's mosques in his small Houston area claimed they did not know him well and had never seen him at a religious service. Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) said Last week, it emerged that Mr. Jabbar is no longer an official member of any of the 21 mosques.
“ISGH has long had a policy of zero tolerance towards extremism and suspicious activities. Attacks on civilians, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion, are not justified by any ideology or cause. “This is an unimaginable atrocity,” the association said.
