The cops have identified the deceased suspect in the deadly New Orleans terror attack as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar and are actively working to determine his travel history and background, officials told NBC News.
The FBI has confirmed an Islamic State flag was found in the vehicle. Initial background checks indicate that Jabbar was a U.S. citizen and a resident of Houston, Texas, and he has a previous criminal record that includes theft and driving with a suspended license, the Guardian reported.
Fox News reported that he was arrested in 2002 in Katy, Texas, for misdemeanor theft and then again three years later in Beaumont for driving with the invalid license, another misdemeanor.
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A YouTube video of the suspect has him revealing that he traveled with the military for 10 years as a human resources specialist. He was listed as a “technology operations manager” in the U.S. Army Reserve, it was reported.
He also reportedly previously worked as a real estate agent. It was previously reported that he had entered the country via Eagle Pass in Texas — it is now known that said entry was a legal one.
That entry occurred on Dec. 30, 2024, it was reported, before the suspect made his way to New Orleans, where he plowed a vehicle into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers at approximately 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
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He killed 10 and injured at least 35, according to The Times-Picayune and The New Orleans Advocate. After plowing his vehicle into the crowd, he reportedly exited his truck and opened fire, then entered into a firefight with the police, during which he was neutralized.
An investigation is actively attempting to determine, according to NBC News, whether Jabbar used a long-gun rifle to open fire on the crowd and on first responders. Sources told Fox News that he was carrying a Glock and a .308 rifle with a suppressor.
That rifle was reportedly stolen from New Jersey, it was reported. It was also equipped with optics.
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Jabbar was reportedly dressed in military gear, with full body armor, before he launched the attack, and his gun had a silencer, according to the police. However, not much else is known about what led up to the incident or how it was carried out.
The authorities are now currently investigating the possibility of a second or multiple suspects, it was reported, as another individual may have rented the truck used to carry out the attack, the police told The Times-Picayune and The New Orleans Advocate.
An improvised explosive device was also reportedly found at the scene, though details about that device have not yet been released.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was quick to name the incident a terrorist attack as she said she was in contact with both Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and President Joe Biden, the latter of whom promised her “full federal support” for the investigation.
Biden released a statement on his official X page, writing, “I have been continually briefed since early this morning regarding the horrific incident that occurred in New Orleans overnight. The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation and is investigating this incident as an act of terrorism.”
He continued, “I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
Other officials, including Landry and Cantrell, asked for prayers for the victims and their families as they stated all of them are in their thoughts after the heinous incident.