A 42-year-old man from Texas pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization ISIS and plowed his pickup into a crowd of people celebrating the New Year on New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning, killing at least 14 people and killing more than 30. injured.
The FBI identified the suspect as Shamsud Din Jabbar, records show. Shamsud Din Jabbar was a twice-divorced military veteran who had a history of struggling financially and failing to pay child support despite a well-paying job at a major consulting firm.
Much of the information was made public at a Thursday press conference attended by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, FBI Assistant Director Christopher Reia, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, and ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson.
“Let me be clear on this point,” Raia told reporters Thursday. “This was an act of terrorism. It was a planned and evil act.”
What we know about the victims of the New Orleans terrorist attack
Shamsuddin Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with police responding to a pickup truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, is pictured in an undated photo released by the FBI. (FBI)
Anyone with information about the attack or Jabbar, or who was on Bourbon Street in the new year, is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also provide tips such as photos and videos. Submit online.
Here is the timeline of events:
Monday, December 30, 2024
According to authorities, Jabbar picked up a rented Ford F-150 EV in Houston.
He obtained the vehicle using the Turo app. same app Authorities said a Tesla Cybertruck was also used in another EV explosion in Las Vegas, Nevada, which exploded at the front entrance of the Trump Hotel.
Laia said the FBI had not found a “definitive link” between the two attacks, but noted it was in the “very early stages” of the investigation. Jabbar and the man involved in the explosion, Matthew Libersberger, both served in the Army and were deployed to Afghanistan in 2009.
Both men were also stationed at Fort Liberty, but investigators said there was no overlap in their duties at the North Carolina base, which currently hosts more than 50,000 service members and women. It was also not immediately clear whether they were deployed to the same region of Afghanistan.
FBI identifies suspect in terrorist act after Bourbon Street attack
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)
Jabbar explained that he initially intended to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that news headlines would focus on the “war between believers and unbelievers.”
Tuesday, December 31st
Jabbar drove approximately 350 miles from Houston to New Orleans.
During his trip, he posted five videos about the attack and its motive. to facebooksaid Laia.
In the first video, posted at 1:29 a.m., Jabbar said he changed his plan to draw as much attention to the crime as possible.
Explosive material found at AIRBNB in New Orleans, possibly linked to Bourbon Street terrorists: Report
On Thursday, January 2, 2024, law enforcement officers cordon off Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. A man plowed his car into a crowd celebrating the New Year on Wednesday, killing several people and injuring dozens. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
“Mr. Jabbar explained that he initially intended to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that news headlines would not focus on the 'war between believers and unbelievers.'” said.
Jabbar's last video posted at 3:02am
“Additionally, he stated that he joined ISIS prior to this summer,” Raia said. “He also filed a will.”
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Laia said that prior to the attack, within “approximately a few hours”, Jabber had planted at least two IEDs in the area.
At 3:17 a.m., Jabbar sped around a police car at the end of Bourbon Street and accelerated toward a crowd of pedestrians, New Orleans police said.
At least 14 people were killed in the attack, including Jabbar, who was killed in a gunfight with police after crashing into a truck.
FBI says no other suspects involved, investigation continues
More than 30 other people were injured.
Investigators are searching a rental home occupied by Shamsuddin Jabbar on Thursday, January 2, 2024, in New Orleans, Louisiana. On Wednesday, multiple people were killed and dozens injured after Jabbar plowed his car into a crowd celebrating New Year's on Bourbon Street. (Kat Ramirez, Fox News Digital)
Police recovered an Islamic State flag, at least three mobile phones and other equipment from Jabbar's truck. He had hidden two IEDs in coolers along Bourbon Street, and authorities were able to safely defuse them.
The FBI immediately took the lead in the investigation, according to city police.
Later that day, the FBI identified Jabbar as the suspect and released a photo. Other photos from the scene appear to show an ISIS flag attached to a truck's trailer hitch.
Federal agents were attempting to speak with anyone who was in the area before, during and after the attack.
“I'd love to talk to anyone who was in the French Quarter on New Year's Eve or early in the morning on New Year's Day,” Laia 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.”
Law enforcement authorities continue to blockade Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday, January 2, 2024. A man plowed his car into a crowd celebrating the New Year on Wednesday, killing several people and injuring dozens. (Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital)
He said they were not considered suspects “in any way.”
New Orleans said an Airbnb believed to be connected to the attackers exploded into flames around 5:30 a.m. fox 8. Investigators said they later found bomb-making materials inside. Laia confirmed that the FBI is searching a home with a Mandeville address for evidence related to the case.
ATF Special Agent Joshua Jackson later told reporters, “Our leading theory at this point is that the fire started after Jabar was already dead.”
He said investigators were still looking into the cause.
Officials postpone Sugar Bowl after apparent terrorist attack on Bourbon Street
Thursday, January 2nd
Authorities continued to release more details about the attackers and searched homes in both Houston and New Orleans.
The FBI said in a call with members of Congress that it had no information about Jabbar before the attack.
“The FBI that responded to the call said they had no knowledge of Jabbar, that he was not on their radar,” said Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, who responded to the call. Green told Fox News. “They didn't have any information about him. He wasn't someone they were monitoring. And we always heard about sleeper cells that exist in our country, so it was very I think that's terrifying.”
Aerial view of suspect's home attack in New Orleans, Houston, Texas. (KRIV)
Before the attack, Jabbar served in the U.S. Army. He served as 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.
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Most recently, he worked at Deloitte, a leading international accounting firm.
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Liz Frieden, Brooke Kurt, Jennifer Griffin, Aisha Husney and Chad Purgram contributed to this report.
