The death toll for the early New Year’s morning attack is now 15.
An American citizen and US Army veteran men drove his rented pickup truck into a busy New Orleans street on an early Wednesday morning. This tragic incident resulted in the deaths of at least 15 people and left many others injured. The FBI is now looking into this event as a potential terrorist attack.
The individual responsible for this heinous act is Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a 42-year-old man from Texas and a former member of the Army. After driving his truck onto Bourbon Street, Jabbar engaged in a shootout with the police, ultimately leading to his death. Reports indicate that two police officers sustained injuries during the confrontation.
According to a US official speaking to The Associated Press, Jabbar served as an information technology specialist in the Army until the year 2015. Authorities suspect that Jabbar did not act alone in planning and executing this attack. Surveillance footage revealed the involvement of three men and a woman in placing homemade explosives linked to the vehicle assault.
The FBI also said that an Islamic State flag was found in the truck, which had a Texas license plate and was rented via the app Turo, which connects drivers with vehicle owners.
“We are heartbroken to learn that one of our host’s vehicles was involved in this awful incident,” Steve Webb, the company’s vice president of communications, said in an email. “We are actively partnering with the FBI. We are not currently aware of anything in this guest’s background that would have identified him as a trust and safety threat to us at the time of the reservation.”
Police say Jabbar drove around a police car that was blocking traffic onto Bourbon Street an onto a sidewalk at about 3:15 a.m. Investigators are at his home in Houston.
Investigators also said that guns and explosives were found in the truck.
WVUE aired a video showing the pickup truck turning onto Bourbon Street at the start of the attack:
Video shows the moment the FBI says Shamsud Din Jabbar raced onto a packed Bourbon Street from Canal Street in a pickup truck with Texas plates and an ISIS flag. pic.twitter.com/hmeB1tUjpc
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) January 1, 2025
The NCAA quarterfinal game between the University of Georgia and Notre Dame, scheduled for Wednesday night in the Sugar Bowl at the Superdome, was postponed until Thursday night in light of the atttack, WDSU reported.
Identifications of the victims are likely to take several days, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office said, but family members have been releasing some identifications.
St. Thomas More Catholic High School said that Tiger Bech, 28, a former football and lacrosse standout, had died in the attack. Bech also played football at Princeton University.
Mississippi 18-year-old Nikyra Dedeaux was also confirmed killed, WDSU said.
The AP reported that Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old father of two from Baton Rouge, was also killed.
