On Thursday (January 2), the FBI provided an update on a U.S. Army veteran’s rampage in New Orleans. 14 people died, and at least 35 sustained injuries when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove his Ford pickup truck into a crowd of people on New Year’s Day.
According to the Associated Press, the law enforcement agency has confirmed that Shamsud-Din acted alone in the attack. However, he was inspired by the Islamic State group.
AP reports that it was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years. Among the deceased were an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a single mother, a father of two, and a former Princeton University football star.
The FBI also revealed more details about the now-deceased driver, who was a U.S. citizen from Texas. Hours before the attack, Shamsud-Din Jabbar posted five videos on his Facebook account in which he proclaimed his support for the militant group ISIS.
In his videos, Jabbar also warned about the violence he planned to commit in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter district. One clip shows him admitting that he first planned to harm his family and friends. However, he changed his mind because he was concerned that news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”
“This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” said Christopher Raia.
Christopher is the deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division. He assured the public that Jabbar was “100% inspired” by the Islamic State. As mentioned, Jabbar killed 14 people who were celebrating the holiday when he sped around a barricade and slammed into a crowd. He later died during a firefight with police.
According to the FBI, Shamsud-Din Jabbar picked up a rented truck in Houston on December 30 and then drove it to New Orleans the next day. Surveillance video later shows Jabbar placing an improvised explosive device in a cooler along the city’s Bourbon Street. However, the agency is confident no one else seen in the footage helped Jabbar carry out the attack. Investigators still plan to interview them as witnesses, though. Jabbar’s device in the cooler, and another device were secured at the scene. Other devices he placed were nonfunctional.
The FBI also recovered a black Islamic State flag from Jabbar’s rented pickup. Additionally, he left a last will and testament, the agency said.
For context, Jabbar joined the Army in 2007, serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He transferred to the Army Reserve in 2015 and left in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.
Abdur-Rahim Jabbar, Jabbar’s younger brother, told The Associated Press on Thursday that it “doesn’t feel real” that his brother could have done this.
“I never would have thought it’d be him,” he said. “It’s completely unlike him.”
He said that his brother had been isolated in the last few years but that he had also been in touch with him, and he didn’t see any signs of radicalization. “It’s completely contradictory to who he was and how his family and his friends know him,” the brother said.
Meanwhile, swipe below to see how President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump reacted to the incident.
New Orleans authorities finished processing the crime scene early Thursday morning, including removing the last of the bodies. Bourbon Street—famous worldwide for music, open-air drinking, and festive vibes—reopened for business by early afternoon.
Over 1,500 miles away in Las Vegas, another incident occurred that killed one and injured others. Local police are still investigating whether the incident was a targeted or terrorist attack. However, it’s been confirmed that the New Year’s Day explosion was NOT a mechanical issue with a Cybertruck. The incident happened in front of a Trump International Hotel.
Raia from the FBI has stressed that there is no connection between what happened in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
Associated Press reporters who contributed to this report include Eric Tucker, Jim Mustian, Kevin McGill, ack Brook, Stephen Smith, Chevel Johnson, Brett Martel, Jeff Martin, Alanna Durkin Richer, Tara Copp, Zeke Miller, Darlene Superville in New Castle, Colleen Long, and Michael R. Sisak.
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