The FBI has identified 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar as the man accused of killing at least 15 people in New Orleans early on New Year’s Day by ramming a truck into a crowd, in an incident that is now being investigated as an “act of terrorism.”
Key Facts
Jabbar—who died at the scene of the attack—is a U.S.-born citizen from Texas who served in the Army, FBI Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Alethea Duncan said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
The FBI confirmed an ISIS flag was found on the vehicle’s trailer hitch—something several news outlets had previously reported—and the agency said it was trying to determine Jabbar’s “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.”
During the press conference, Duncan said investigators do not believe Jabbar “was solely responsible,” and they are “aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates.”
Jabbar reportedly said in a 2020 YouTube video he was born in Beaumont, Texas—a city of just over 100,000 located about 80 miles east of Houston—and worked in real estate in the Houston area.
Jabbar has been married and divorced twice and has at least two children, according to multiple reports: A man who is now married to Jabbar’s first wife—whom he divorced in 2012—told The New York Times that Jabbar recently converted to Islam and began “being all crazy,” causing his ex-wife to stop his 15- and 20-year-old daughters from seeing him.
Jabbar’s second wife filed for divorce in 2020 and was granted a restraining order against him, NBC News reported—the case was dismissed, but the couple later got divorced in 2022.
What Do We Know About Jabbar’s Military Service?
Jabbar was on active duty in the Army from 2007 to 2015, working as an information technology and human resources specialist and deploying to Afghanistan for about a year in 2009, an unnamed Army spokesperson told CNN. He later served in the Army Reserve until 2020, leaving as a staff sergeant, CNN reported. Duncan says he was honorably discharged. At the time of his 2012 divorce, he said in legal filings he resided at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, according to the Times. In 2004, he reportedly enlisted in the Navy but was discharged a month later.
What Do We Know About Jabbar’s Work History?
Jabbar described himself as a real estate professional in a 2020 video seen by CNN and the Times. Texas Real Estate Commission records show Jabbar’s sales agent license expired last year. In a court document filed as part of his second divorce in 2022, Jabbar disclosed he worked for accounting firm Deloitte at the time and earned around $120,000 a year, according to the Times.
Where Did Jabbar Attend School?
Jabbar graduated from Georgia State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s of business administration, the school told CNN.
Did Jabbar Face Financial Or Legal Issues?
In court filings, Jabbar suggested he faced some financial trouble. Records from his 2022 divorce reportedly mentioned late home payments, a “danger of foreclosure” and credit card debt, and said a business he started lost $28,000. More than a decade ago, his first wife sued him over child support, but the case was dismissed in 2022, according to CNN. The Times also reported that Jabbar was charged with two minor crimes in 2002 and 2005, first for misdemeanor theft in Katy, Texas—near Houston—and later for driving with an invalid license.
What Details Are Known About The Ramming Attack?
According to New Orleans police, the attacker rammed a rented Ford truck into a crowd of pedestrians on Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m. early Wednesday. At least 15 people were killed in the attack and dozens were injured. Several police officers responded to the scene of the crash, after which the suspect emerged from the vehicle and fired at them. His bullets struck two officers—who are in stable condition—before officers returned fire. He was killed at the scene. Weapons and a “potential” improvised explosive device were found in the attacker’s truck, and other possible explosive devices were recovered in New Orleans’ French Quarter area, according to the FBI.
Key Background
The site of the attack, Bourbon Street—located in the city’s French Quarter—is a popular tourist spot where a large number of people had gathered for New Year’s celebrations. The city has also drawn tourists for the annual college football Sugar Bowl, which organizers postponed from Wednesday until Thursday due to the attack. The FBI is the lead investigative agency probing the incident, and said it is working with federal and local partners to “investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
