The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas and former Afghanistan service member, was killed in a shootout with police after ramming into a New Orleans crowd. The attack left 15 dead and around 30 injured, including two police officers wounded by gunfire. The incident occurred at 3:15 a.m. near Canal and Bourbon Streets, a historic tourist area where New Year’s celebrations were underway. Authorities vowed to find and apprehend any accomplices.
Police discovered weapons and a potential explosive device in Jabbar’s rented vehicle. Additionally, two explosive devices were located in the French Quarter and safely defused by the FBI.
As a precaution, the Sugar Bowl, an annual college football game, was postponed to Thursday afternoon while authorities conducted citywide sweeps for explosives and searched for clues. New Orleans, set to host the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 9, remained on high alert.
An ISIS flag affixed to the vehicle’s trailer hitch prompted a federal investigation into possible terrorist ties. “We do not believe Jabbar acted alone. We are pursuing all leads, including his known associates,” said FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan, noting that investigators were examining a range of suspects.
The victims included a mother of a 4-year-old celebrating a recent promotion, a New York financial worker and student athlete visiting for the holidays, and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi.
BIDEN CONDEMNS ATTACK
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the New Orleans attack as a “despicable” act and noted investigators were exploring potential links to a Tesla truck fire outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. However, Biden emphasized that no evidence currently connects the two incidents.
Biden also revealed that the suspect, hours before the attack, had posted videos on social media expressing admiration for ISIS and a desire to kill. “The FBI informed me that he recorded videos where he mentioned dreams of joining ISIS and even contemplated killing his family after a divorce,” Biden said.
ISIS, also known as Islamic State or ISIL, is a militant group that once ruled large parts of Iraq and Syria under a regime of terror. Its power was significantly diminished following a sustained military campaign by a U.S.-led coalition.
Despite being weakened on the battlefield, ISIS continues to recruit sympathizers online, according to experts.
Public records reveal that Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the New Orleans suspect, previously worked in real estate in Houston. In a promotional video from four years ago, Jabbar described growing up in Beaumont, Texas, about 80 miles east of Houston. He also shared details about his 10-year military career, during which he served as a human resources and IT specialist.
An Army spokesperson confirmed Jabbar’s service, stating he was in the regular Army from March 2007 to January 2015 and in the Army Reserve from January 2015 to July 2020. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and reached the rank of staff sergeant by the end of his service.
Mike and Kimberly Strickland of Mobile, Alabama, were in New Orleans for a bluegrass concert and were just 20 yards from where the truck struck pedestrians as they returned to their hotel.
“There were people everywhere,” Kimberly Strickland recounted. “You just heard a squeal, the rev of the engine, and then this huge impact. People were screaming, debris flying—just metal crunching and bodies.”
At the time, around 400 officers were on duty in the French Quarter, including some who had set up a makeshift barrier to prevent vehicles from entering the pedestrian zone. Police said efforts to secure the area were part of broader plans to prevent vehicle attacks in the Bourbon Street area, a global concern in crowded pedestrian malls.
New Orleans had been replacing steel barriers, known as bollards, to restrict vehicle access in the area, with construction scheduled for completion before the Super Bowl. In the interim, police vehicles and officers were used as temporary barriers.
“We had a plan in place, but the terrorist defeated it,” Police Chief Kirkpatrick admitted.