NEW ORLEANS – Authorities say the suspected pickup truck driver killed at least 14 people and injured more than 20 when he sped through a crowd of pedestrians in New Orleans’ busy French Quarter neighborhood early in the new year. The suspect was identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar. Other drunkards.
Jabbar, 42, is a U.S. citizen living in Texas, according to the FBI. He was also a Harris County resident, according to public records.
KPRC reported Wednesday afternoon that a SWAT team was on scene in north Houston (at the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive, about 16 miles west of Bush Intercontinental Airport) in connection with a deadly attack in New Orleans. They reported that the house was surrounded.
The address of the house is listed in public records as Jabbar’s residence, KPRC reported.
FBI agents in Houston spent Wednesday afternoon, evening and early Thursday morning at the Jabbar residence. The agency announced in a social media post Wednesday night that there were no additional arrests.
Thursday morning, the Houston FBI office said in a follow-up social media post that the “court-authorized search” had ended and there was no further threat to area residents.
On Thursday, KSAT obtained footage from inside Jabbar’s home from sister station KPRC 2 in Houston.
The FBI’s office in New Orleans on Thursday shared surveillance photos of Jabbar more than an hour before the early Wednesday morning attack. The agency is asking any witnesses who may have passed Jabbar on the street to come forward.
Newly released surveillance photos show Shamsud Din Jabbar just over an hour before the deadly Bourbon Street attack. The #FBI is asking any witnesses who passed him on the street or saw this blue ice box containing an IED to contact us. https://t.co/YpD2NsVI5U pic.twitter.com/Em6PPsG4QK
— FBI New Orleans (@FBINewOrleans) January 2, 2025
Authorities said Jabbar was driving a Ford F150 he rented from a car-sharing app in Texas. Authorities found an ISIS flag in his car, according to an FBI report.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday evening during a press conference around 6 p.m. Central Time that the FBI had discovered a video the driver posted on social media hours before the attack, in which the driver appeared to be “Islamic.” He was said to have expressed a desire to commit the crime after being inspired by the country. kill.
“An ISIS flag was found inside the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine any potential links or connections between the subjects and terrorist organizations,” the FBI said in a statement. “Weapons and potential IEDs were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also placed in the French Quarter. FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician We are working with our partners to determine whether these devices are viable and to make them safe. We are investigating this as an act.”
Two police officers were also injured in the gunfight with the suspect, and authorities said the suspect died after the shootout.
The Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed from Wednesday night and rescheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the biggest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties, and during the Sugar Bowl college football playoffs, which were to be held Wednesday night at the nearby Superdome. Crowds had gathered in the city in anticipation of the match.
The truck used in the attack had Texas plates and the branding of a Houston-area dealership. ABC News reported that the Ford F150 truck used in the attack was rented through the car-sharing company Turo app.
Truck owner Rodrigo Diaz told ABC’s Chris Loft that he rents out the truck to individuals through Turo and is currently in discussions with the FBI, declining to comment further.
His wife, Dora Diaz, told ABC News the couple was devastated, tearfully saying: I can’t say anything else. I’m here with my kids and this is devastating. ”
Here’s what we know about this attack:
what happened?
Police said the driver sped through a crowd along Bourbon Street that had gathered to celebrate the New Year around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. At least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured and taken to five local hospitals. Two police officers who were injured in the gunfight with the suspect are in stable condition.
Who is the driver and what is his motive?
According to the FBI, the driver was Shamsuddin Bahar Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas.
A flag representing the Islamic State group was found inside the truck, and the FBI is investigating whether the suspect had ties to a terrorist organization, the agency said in a statement.
The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.
Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “desperate to cause carnage and cause damage” and “tried to run over as many people as possible”.
What did authorities find in their investigation?
The FBI said weapons and possible explosive devices were found in the pickup truck, and possible explosive devices were found elsewhere in the French Quarter.
Footage from two different surveillance cameras showed the beginning of the incident and the response of several nearby police officers.
Who was in the crowd?
Authorities said Bourbon Street was filled with revelers celebrating the start of 2025 and attending New Year’s Eve parties at the time of the incident. Crowds in New Orleans are swelling in anticipation of Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame. Officials said the game would go ahead as scheduled but had been postponed Thursday afternoon.
What protections are in place for pedestrians on Bourbon Street?
New Orleans is in the midst of a major project to remove and replace bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street, according to city documents. The project will begin in November and will include replacing the old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards.
Have there been similar deadly attacks using vehicles?
Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans is the latest example of vehicles being used as weapons to carry out mass violence around the world. This trend has alarmed law enforcement authorities, as such attacks are difficult to defend against. Last month, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor burst into a Christmas market packed with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a nine-year-old boy.
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