The FBI found a common explosive chemical in a Texas storage locker tied to Bourbon Street terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was identified as the perpetrator of the New Year’s attack in New Orleans.
The storage locker, rented by Jabbar, was situated around a mile away from his residence in Harris County, near Houston, reported officials from the FBI’s Houston field office.
Bottles of sulfuric acid were found inside a cooler in the storage unit on Monday during an overnight search conducted by the FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
Sulfuric acid is widely used and commercially available, and it can be combined with other chemicals to make explosives.
Authorities also confirmed that Jabbar left bomb-making materials at his rented Airbnb in New Orleans prior to the attack.
“They said they found bomb-making material in the yellow house and wanted the bomb squad to look it over,” Bob Koenig, a neighbor, told FOX 8 New Orleans.
Police officers stand near the scene where a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans’ Canal and Bourbon streets on Jan. 1. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
After Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a Ford pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time New Year’s Day, the FBI began investigating the matter as an “act of terrorism.”
After driving his rented vehicle into the crowd of revelers, Jabbar got out of the truck and shot at law enforcement, who returned fire. The suspect was declared dead at the scene, according to the bureau.
An ISIS flag, weapons and an IED were found in the vehicle, the FBI said.
