This story has been updated throughout.
The man suspected of crashing his pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday morning has been identified by the FBI as Shamsuddin Jabbar, 42, of Texas.
Authorities said Jabbar, wearing full military uniform, drove a rented Ford pickup truck into the crowd at Bourbon and Canal streets around 3:15 a.m., authorities said. The assault left at least 15 people dead, including the perpetrator, and dozens injured.
The FBI is investigating the incident “as an act of terrorism.”
Jim Maurer, who was visiting from Iowa, said the couple narrowly avoided a collision with the truck and described the scene as chaotic.
“We saw a body on the road, and it was obviously dead,” Maurer recalled.
Police said Jabbar was shot and killed during a shootout with New Orleans police. Two police officers were injured in the incident, but both are in stable condition.
Sarah Grunow, Houston Public Media
On Thursday, the FBI confirmed that improvised explosive devices were found at and around the scene. But Christopher Reia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, said they now believe Mr. Jabbar acted alone.
“At this time, we do not assess that anyone other than Shamsud Din Jabbar is responsible for this attack. We have already been briefed on this matter,” Raia said.
The FBI said there was an ISIS flag inside the car, but the terrorist organization did not claim responsibility. On Thursday, Raia said he did not believe the New Orleans attack was connected to the explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Nevada.
“We are following all potential leads and have not ruled out everything. However, at this time there is no definitive connection between the attack here in New Orleans and the attack in Las Vegas. ” said Raia.
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden also said that Jabbar had posted a video hours before the attack claiming he was inspired by ISIS to commit the murder. Raia said Thursday that Jabbar shared five videos on Facebook. The timestamps ranged from 1:29 a.m. to 3:02 a.m., just before the Bourbon attack. In one, he said he initially intended to harm his family and friends, but changed his mind because he thought that would not attract enough media attention.
“I was concerned that news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between believers and unbelievers,'” Raia said.
In another video, Jabbar said he joined ISIS before the summer, and Raia said he also submitted a suicide note before the attack.
“He was 100% inspired by ISIS,” Raia said.
Rob Salinas, Houston Public Media.
Jabbar lived in northwest Houston, according to driver’s license records. Reporters and police were at the home Wednesday.
The white house was cut off from the street by a large black iron gate. Ducks and sheep roamed the grounds. Police told reporters the scene is the subject of an active investigation.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting as governor while Greg Abbott is out of state, said Jabbar borrowed the truck used in Monday’s attack and drove it in Houston before heading to New Orleans. He said he was seen doing it.
The local FBI office in Houston urged people to avoid his area, which is on lockdown. Cleanup of the area was completed by Thursday morning.
Faisal Siddiqui, who lives near Houston, said he didn’t know about the New Orleans attack until a reporter told him about it.
“It’s very wrong, it’s a threat to us, and whoever it is, he needs to be punished,” he said. “I just heard about this too, and I’m scared because I have children at home.”
Another neighbor said he didn’t know Jabbar’s name but had seen him in the neighborhood. He said Jabbar was quiet and their interactions were normal. Speaking in Spanish, he said there were no problems in the area, which is a largely Muslim community.
Jabbar started several real estate businesses in Texas, according to Secretary of State records. Two of them have disappeared within the last few years.
According to an Army spokesperson, Jabbar served in the Regular Army as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 to January 2015, and then joined the Army Reserve as an IT specialist from January 2015 to July 2020. He changed his role.
He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
Mr. Jabbar held the rank of sergeant when he retired, a spokesperson said. A U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss Mr. Jabbar’s record said he had “disciplinary issues,” a record of drunk driving and was honorably discharged from the military.
In a now-deleted YouTube video he posted about one of his businesses four years ago, Mr. Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and has lived in the state his whole life, except for a period in the military. He says he spent time in During his 10 years in the military, he said, “I learned the meaning of great service, and what it means to be responsive and take everything seriously, to make sure things go smoothly, and to hit the mark and cross the mark.” I learned,” he said.
A Georgia State University spokesperson confirmed that Jabbar attended the school from 2015 to 2017 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in computer information systems.
It’s unclear where Jabbour was staying in New Orleans, but local TV station WDSU reported that he may be connected to an Airbnb in the St. Roche area. There was a heavy police presence on Mandeville Street as homes were vacated Wednesday.
Calls to the owner of the Mandeville Street property went unanswered.
The attack has raised concerns about the safety of future events, including the Super Bowl in February. The incident occurred hours before the Allstate Sugar Bowl was to be held at Caesars Superdome on Wednesday night.
The game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Georgia Bulldogs was postponed to early afternoon.
New Orleans is also scheduled to host the Super Bowl on February 9th. Mardi Gras season, New Orleans’ largest annual festival, begins on January 6th and culminates with Fat Tuesday, March 4th.
NPR’s Tom Bowman contributed to this report.
