Early in the new year, a man plowed his pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and injuring many more.
The driver was identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar. The incident is currently being investigated by the FBI as a terrorist attack.
Jabbar, who reportedly secured the truck using the car rental app Turo, was shot and killed by police after firing at officers.
The attack prompted increased security in other areas, including Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Here's what we know about Jabbar:
US citizenship
Mr. Jabbar, 42, is a U.S. citizen from Texas.
According to his now-deleted LinkedIn profile, Mr. Jabbar studied at Georgia State University from 2015 to 2017, graduating with a degree in computer information systems. BBC reported.
He has been married and divorced twice, and court filings were obtained by: USA Today It has been revealed that during her second divorce, she expressed financial hardship, but that she was earning $120,000 a year from her job at the global accounting firm Deloitte.
CNN reported His first wife sued him over child support in 2012, and he subsequently filed for divorce. In 2020, a Texas judge granted Jabbar's second wife a restraining order pending divorce proceedings.
He previously held a real estate license and had a history of traffic violations and theft.
Jabbar was a legal U.S. citizen, even though many were quick to conclude that he was not.
President-elect Trump did not explicitly mention Jabbar's citizenship, but posted online A similar immigration message he had on the campaign trail.
“When I said that the criminals coming into our country are far worse than the criminals in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the fake news media, but it turns out to be true,” Trump said. ” he said.
“This crime rate in our country is at a level that no one has ever seen before,” he added.
President Trump said after the attack that his heart goes out to the victims and the city of New Orleans.
army records
Jabbar joined the Army in 2007 at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to sources who spoke to USA Today.
He initially worked as a human resources specialist in payroll, mail delivery, and medal processing. He then became an information technology specialist and was tracked as a computer system troubleshooter.
Jabbar was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2015, and was also stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska and Fort Bragg in North Carolina at the time, the newspaper said.
After his deployment, Jabbar entered the Army Reserve and served as an IT specialist until July 2020.
He left the Army as a sergeant and was given an honorable discharge, officials told USA Today.
Inspired by ISIS
Jabbar is believed to have drawn inspiration from the Islamic State group (ISIS).
He had an ISIS flag displayed on the trailer hitch of the truck he had rented for the attack.
The FBI said it is working to determine Mr. Jabbar's potential ties or ties to terrorist organizations.
FBI bomb technicians are working to determine whether explosives found in the truck and elsewhere near Bourbon Street are active. Authorities believe Mr. Jabbar was not acting alone.
In remarks released Wednesday, President Biden said that hours before the attack, Jabbar posted a video on social media showing he was “inspired by ISIS” and had a “murderous desire.”
The Islamic State group has welcomed any opportunity to behead Americans and other foreign nationals who enter its territory. Associated Press reported. The group encouraged people around the world to attack innocent civilians.
Jabbar's attack reflects the worst ISIS-inspired attack in the United States in recent years, according to the Associated Press.
threats against family
Officials told CNN that in a series of videos, Jabbar talked about plotting to kill his family and having dreams that motivated him to join ISIS.
Jabbar is believed to have made the recording while driving from his home state of Texas to Louisiana for the attack.
He said he intended to kill her first by gathering his family together to “celebrate.” He mentioned divorce in the video.
Instead, he changed his plans and decided to join the Islamic State group, officials said.
