New Orleans is grappling with the aftermath of a tragic incident that took place three days prior, where a truck-ramming attack resulted in the death of 14 individuals, including the alleged terrorist who engaged in a fatal shootout with police on New Year’s Day.
Recently released surveillance images by the FBI depict the now-deceased perpetrator, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, aged 42, just an hour before he drove a rented Ford pick-up truck into a crowded Bourbon Street, an act believed to have been influenced by the Islamic State, leading to injuries of over 30 people. While there were initial concerns about potential accomplices, the FBI has confirmed that Jabbar likely acted alone in executing the attack.
The focus of the investigation has now shifted to understanding the radicalization process of Jabbar, a former U.S. Army member who held a lucrative job. Growing up in a Muslim household in Texas and residing in Houston before the incident, the authorities are trying to piece together the factors that led to his extremist behavior.
“This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old, and we have no indication at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar,” FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia from the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters said on Thursday. “The FBI is surging people and assets to this area from across the region and across the nation. Special agents in field offices across the country are assisting with potential aspects of this investigation and following up on leads. Additional teams of special agents, professional staff, and victim specialists continue to arrive to provide more investigative power and assistance to the victims and their families.”
“Let us be very clear—what happened here in New Orleans was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” he added.
Raia stressed there was no indication of a connection between the New Orleans attack and the explosion Wednesday of a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives outside Trump’s Las Vegas hotel.
The New Orleans attack plans also included the placement of crude bombs in the neighborhood in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage, officials said. Two improvised explosive devices left in coolers several blocks apart were rendered safe at the scene. Other devices were determined to be nonfunctional.
Investigators also were trying to understand more about Jabbar’s path to radicalization, which they say culminated with him picking up a rented truck in Houston on Dec. 30 and driving it to New Orleans the following night.
The FBI recovered a black IS flag from Jabbar’s rented pickup and reviewed five videos posted to Facebook, including one in which he said he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” Raia said. Jabbar also stated he joined IS before last summer and provided a last will and testament, the FBI said.
Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, the service said.
He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.
A half-brother of Jabbar told Fox News that the alleged New Orleans attacker had been radicalized and struggled to find himself.
Fox News spoke with Abdur Rahim-Jabbar in Beaumont, Texas, where they grew up alongside three additional siblings.
Abdur said that they grew up Muslim, along with his whole family. He said that Jabbar stepped away from Islam, but found his way back following his 2022 divorce.
Jabbar struggled to find himself throughout his life, his half-brother told Fox News. He said that his half-brother joined the Army to “find something, to set him straight, ground him, and maybe find a viable career path.”
Following Jabbar’s two divorces, his brother said that he was “looking for some type of guidance.” His half-brother blamed radicalization for the attack and said that he did not see any signs prior to the attack, as well as expressing his condolences for the lives lost. He said this “was not a direct reflection of his brother and the Muslim community.”
A U.S. government official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Jabbar traveled to Egypt in 2023, staying in Cairo for a week, before returning to the U.S. and then traveling to Toronto for three days. It was not immediately clear what he did during those travels.
On Bourbon Street, flowers and candles were arranged as memorials to the victims, while yellow posts were set up on the surrounding blocks. By Thursday night, bouncers danced to music blasting from clubs, tourists posed for photos and a group of street performers preparing to flip over a line of people had no trouble attracting a massive audience.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
