Shamsud-Din Jabbar had reportedly spoken about plans to kill his family and join the terrorist group in a series of recordings
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US Army veteran who is suspected of being behind the New Orleans terror attack that resulted in 15 deaths, was “100% inspired” by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), the FBI confirmed on Thursday. He supposedly recorded a series of videos in which he pledged allegiance to the group, CNN reported on the same day, citing multiple officials.
The FBI is now digging deeper into the suspect’s radicalization path, a deputy assistant director of the bureau’s counterterrorism division, Christopher Raia, told a news conference on Thursday morning. He also said that investigators believe Jabbar acted alone.
“We do not assess at this point that anyone else is involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Jabbar,” Raia said. US President Joe Biden had said that federal investigators were examining a “possible connection” between the New Orleans attack and an explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas that took place on Wednesday.
CNN reported on Thursday that Jabbar made what it described as “chilling recordings” in which he shared some of his plans. The videos are being examined by the authorities, the broadcaster said, adding that it was not able to review them. The clips were reportedly made when the suspect was driving at night, possibly from Texas to Louisiana, the officials told CNN.
In the videos, Jabbar reportedly talked about his plans to gather his family for a fake “celebration” so he could kill them. He then said he changed his plans to join ISIS instead and also mentioned some “dreams” that had supposedly encouraged him to pledge allegiance to the terrorist organization.
Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers celebrating New Year’s Day on Bourbon Street in the early morning on January 1, 2025. He then exited the vehicle and opened fire on the responding police officers. The attack resulted in 15 deaths, including the suspect. Another 35 people were injured.
An ISIS flag was found in Jabbar’s vehicle at the scene. The FBI also said its specialists recovered two improvised explosive devices left by Jabbar in the Bourbon Street area.
The suspect was identified as a US Army veteran who served from 2007 to 2015 on active duty and continued in the Army Reserve until 2020. He was deployed to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2010.
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