Who was New Orleans truck attack suspect Shamsud-Deen Jabbar? , crime news

A man identified by the FBI as a United States military veteran drove a pick-up truck into a crowd of people celebrating New Year on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, US, killing at least 15 people. Killed and dozens injured.

The suspect killed in the police firing has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from the state of Texas.

The FBI is investigating the incident as “terrorism” and has said it does not believe the driver acted alone in the attack on one of the nation’s top tourist destinations. However, the federal investigating body has not specified what evidence is being used to make a legal determination.

Here’s what we know about the incident, the suspect and the latest on the ground.

What happened in New Orleans and when?

• At around 3:15 a.m. (09:15 GMT) on Wednesday, a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck drove at high speed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, according to local police.
• New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver went around the barricades and was driving at a “very high speed” and in a “very deliberate” manner.
• “This guy was trying to run over as many people as possible,” Kirkpatrick told reporters. “He was bent on committing genocide and the resulting damage,” he said.
• After the car stopped, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and fired at the responding officers, who returned fire and killed him.
• The FBI said they found an explosive device at the site, but were working to confirm whether it was viable.
• According to broadcaster CNN, it appears that Jabbar rented an F-150 Lightning electric truck from car rental website Turo.
• Authorities found that the same rental website was linked to an incident in Las Vegas on Wednesday, where a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Hotel. It is unclear whether the two incidents are related.

Who is the suspect?

The FBI identified the suspect as Jabbar, 42, who served in the US Army between 2007 and 2020. He was also deployed in Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.

He earned a degree in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University in 2017.

The FBI said an ISIL flag was found in the vehicle used in the attack. The bureau is trying to find out whether Jabbar was associated with any “terrorist” organisation.

New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno said the suspect was wearing full military fatigues and police described his actions as intentional.

Court records show that Jabbar faced a deteriorating financial situation during his separation from his then-wife in 2022. Jabbar said he was $27,000 behind on house payments, had accumulated $16,000 in credit card debt and wanted to finalize the divorce quickly.

“I have exhausted all methods of bringing the loan current other than a loan modification, leaving us no choice but to sell the home or allow it to go into foreclosure,” he wrote in an email to his ex-wife’s attorney in January 2022. Is.” ,

He also worked with the consulting firm Deloitte and earned about $10,000 per month. In a statement, Deloitte said Jabbar “has served in a staff-level role” since being hired in 2021 and the company is making every effort to assist executives.

“There are a number of red flags when you look at this (attack), including the age of the attacker – this is really not the prototypical for someone being radicalized. The fact that he was in the US military, so I think it certainly warrants caution,” said Colin Clark of the Soufan Center, a New York-based foreign policy and global security think tank.

“And frankly, the authorities have not been good in terms of communication. There have been many false leaks. “Earlier today it was discovered that more people were involved, and then authorities took it down,” he told Al Jazeera from Pennsylvania.

Where did the incident happen?

The incident occurred in New Orleans, a city in southwestern Louisiana state. It is located on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico.

The vehicle traveled along Canal Street to Bourbon Street, the center of the city’s famous French Quarter, a district famous for its bars, restaurants and jazz history.

Bourbon Street is known as one of the biggest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties around the world. New Orleans is a top tourist destination, attracting more than 40 million people last year.

The city also hosted a crowd in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game at the nearby Superdome on Wednesday. The game was postponed for 24 hours after the attack.

However, the city has faced past incidents involving shootings and vehicles colliding with crowds, such as two shootings in November 2024 that left two dead and 10 injured during a parade.

How many people died?

According to the police report, at least 15 people have been killed and 35 injured in this attack.

The injured also include two police officers, who were injured by the driver’s bullet.

Zion Parsons, 18, of Gulfport, Mississippi, said he saw the truck “moving fast, throwing people in the air, like a scene from a movie.”

“There were bodies, bodies everywhere, up and down the street, everybody was screaming and yelling,” Parsons, whose friend Niqueira Dedaux was murdered, told the AP.

Princeton University football athlete Martin “Tiger” Bech was among the dead.

“He was a ‘Tiger’ in every way – a ferocious competitor with endless energy, a beloved teammate and a caring friend. Our last conversation was about how proud I am of the growth he has shown during his time at Princeton and the success he has had after graduation. “My love goes out to the entire Bech family,” head football coach Bob Surace said, according to the Princeton football website.

Was the New Orleans incident a ‘terrorist attack’?

The FBI said Wednesday it was working with its partners “to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

“The FBI is working to determine the subject’s possible association and affiliation with terrorist organizations,” Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the New Orleans FBI, told reporters.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” Duncan said. “We are aggressively pursuing every lead, including his known associates.”

However, it does not specify what evidence is being used to make that legal determination, and information regarding a possible motive has not been released.

US President Joe Biden said the FBI had informed him that the suspect had posted videos on social media expressing a “willingness to kill” indicating he was inspired by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.

What’s the latest on the ground?

The FBI is leading the investigation and Bourbon Street is cordoned off.

Local officials have set up a rally point at University Medical Center for families looking to check on loved ones.

Despite the incident, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy said New Orleans law enforcement is prepared for Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl, with the Superdome now under lockdown to ensure safety.

US President Joe Biden assured Mayor Cantrell of full federal support following the attack, with the White House confirming that the President will receive frequent updates.

US President-elect Donald Trump also expressed grief over the attack, calling it an “act of pure evil”.