Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man accused of crashing a truck into New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans, killing and injuring dozens of people, was a U.S. Army veteran who later worked in real estate, according to officials and public records.
Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans say that Jabbar did not act alone and that they are looking for accomplices.
The FBI said Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck and view the attack as a potential act of terrorism. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Sunni Muslim militant group which has carried out attacks throughout the world.
While the investigation is ongoing, so far no information has surfaced to explain why Jabbar, a U.S. citizen raised in Texas, would carry out the New Orleans attack. Jabbar died at the scene in a shootout with police, officials said.
Jabbar was a veteran of the U.S. Army from which he appears to have been honorably discharged, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan told a briefing on Wednesday.
In addition to serving in the Army, Jabbar enlisted in the Navy in August 2004 under a delayed entry program but was discharged a month later, a Navy official told Reuters.
In a promotional video for his real estate business posted to YouTube in 2020, a man by the same name as the suspect said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist, learning the importance of great service and taking everything seriously.
"I've taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to one be a fierce negotiator," he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.
In the video, the man introduced himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Properties LLC, a Texas-based company whose license expired in 2022. He was registered as a real estate sales agent for four years through February 2023, records show.
He said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas.
The FBI believes Jabbar rented the Ford pickup truck he used to ram into the crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter in the early hours of Wednesday. Jabbar then opened fire on police, injuring 35 in addition to the at least 10 people who have died.
The ISIS flag on the truck prompted an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations. Investigators found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, as well as other potential explosive devices in the French Quarter.
"We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates," Duncan said.
“This is not just an act of terrorism. This is evil,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.
The driver “defeated” safety measures that were in place to protect pedestrians, she said, and was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”.
Jabbar drove on to a pavement, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic and protect Bourbon Street revellers, authorities said.
A barrier system designed to prevent vehicle attacks was undergoing repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is being played in the city in February.
Police killed Jabbar after he exited the vehicle and opened fire on responding officers, police said.
Three officers returned fire.
Two were shot and are in a stable condition, police said.
They were in addition to 33 people injured in the vehicle attack.
A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed by police.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said.
The FBI said a potential improvised explosive device was located in the vehicle and other potential explosive devices were also located in the French Quarter.
At a news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” and the city’s police chief said the act was clearly intentional.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said of the attacker: “He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.
“It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
Two police officers who were shot after the driver emerged from the truck are in a stable condition, she added.
New Orleans’ emergency preparedness department, Nola Ready, said the casualties had been taken to five local hospitals.
University of Georgia president Jere Morehead said a student was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment.
Zion Parsons told NOLA.com that he and two friends were leaving a Bourbon Street restaurant when he heard a “commotion” and “banging” and turned his head to see a vehicle “barrelling” on to the pavement toward them. He dodged the vehicle but it struck one of his friends.
“I yell her name, and I turn my head, and her leg is twisted and contorted above and around her back. And there was just blood,” Mt Parsons said. The 18-year-old said he ran after hearing gunshots shortly thereafter.
“As you’re walking down the street, you can just look and see bodies, just bodies of people, just bleeding, broken bones,” he said. “I just ran until I couldn’t hear nothing no more.”
President Joe Biden said the FBI is investigating the “horrific incident” as “an act of terrorism” and that he has directed his team to ensure every resource is available as authorities work to “get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible”.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Mr Biden said in a written statement.
“There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland has also been informed, the Justice Department said.
Additional reporting Reuters
