HOUSTON — The terrorist who drove a truck out of control on New Orleans' busy Bourbon Street, killing at least 10 people, was an American-born military veteran who lived in a dilapidated trailer park where he kept sheep and goats in his yard several blocks away. It is far away from the local mosque.
Authorities say Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, of Houston, wrapped an ISIS flag around a rented Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck to carry out a planned terrorist attack on New Year's Day.
In a YouTube video he posted in 2020 for his real estate business, the clean-cut Jabbar describes himself as a dependable Texas native who spent 10 years in the military and learned “the meaning of great service.” He explained.
But after that, Jabbar ended up living in a shabby trailer park on the outskirts of Houston, where the majority of Muslim immigrants live.
When The Post visited several hours after the attack, geese, chickens and sheep were roaming freely in Jabbar's garden.
One neighbor told the Post he only speaks Urdu, Pakistan's national language.
The area is also within walking distance of the local mosque, Masjid Bilal, but no one answered the phone Wednesday.
Law enforcement officials told the Post they discovered a video in which Jabar made references to Islam's holy book, the Koran.
By midafternoon, federal authorities had swooped in, forced the Post and other journalists from the area, and placed it on lockdown.
His neighbors seemed to know little about him.
François Venegas said Jabbar was a “simple person” who didn't hide who he was, although they occasionally exchanged words on the street.
“[He was] It's very quiet…just walking. [he would say] 'Hello,' 'hi,' that's all,” Venegas said.
Jabbar had been arrested twice. The first time was in Katy, Texas in 2002 for theft, and the second time three years later for driving without a valid license. The New York Times reported.
He has been divorced twice and appears to have been financially ruined by his failed marriages.
Jabbar's first wife sued him for child support in 2012, according to court records.
During his second divorce in 2022, he racked up more than $16,000 in credit card debt to pay for court fees and a vacation home, according to an email to his ex-wife's lawyer seen by The Times. He said he was having a
“I can't afford the housing costs,” he wrote.
He added that he lost more than $28,000 in the previous year from his real estate business.
His first wife, Nekedra Jabbar, has since remarried, and she and her new husband are cooperating with the investigation, her husband's father, Nelson Marsh Sr., told the New York Post.
