New Orleans attack suspect had ‘dreams’ that inspired him to join ISIS: What we know so far
Authorities are reviewing disturbing videos of the suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar where he ‘proclaimed his support for ISIS’ and threatened to kill his family
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The suspect in the deadly New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day “proclaimed his support for ISIS” and made chilling threats to kill his family in videos recorded ahead of the massacre, the FBI confirmed.
Christopher Raia, the FBI’s deputy assistant director of its counter terrorism division, said at a press conference Thursday that they are reviewing disturbing videos of the suspect, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, where he discussed plans to kill his family in recordings made before the attack.
New Year’s celebrations in the city ended in tragedy when the suspected terrorist slammed into a crowd of revelers, killing at least 14 innocent people and injuring more than 30 others. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene after a standoff with authorities.
Raia shared a timeline of the suspect’s movements before carrying out the attack, detailing how he planted two IED devices in coolers in the bustling area before he rammed into the crowd in a pickup truck on Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m.
The FBI confirmed he had an ISIS flag in his truck as he plowed into the crowd.
Raia said there was “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck blast in Las Vegas after earlier reports that investigators were probing a possible connection. He also updated that investigators no longer believe the suspect had accomplices.
Here is what we know about the suspect so far
Who was the driver and what happened?
The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, was a U.S. citizen from Texas who was “100 percent inspired by ISIS,” Raia told the press conference on Thursday, adding that Jabbar said in video footage that he joined the terror group prior to this summer.
Officials recovered weapons and a potential explosive device inside the vehicle as well as an ISIS flag, which the FBI “is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” a statement released on Wednesday said.
A timeline of the suspect’s whereabouts was given by Raia at the press conference, where he confirmed Jabbar collected the rented pickup truck on December 30 and drove from his home in Houston, Texas on the evening of December 31 to New Orleans in Louisiana.
Some time between New Year’s Eve and the early hours of New Year’s Day, the suspect planted two IED devices in coolers which were both functional. They were later rendered safe, Raia confirmed.
The suspect exhibited “very intentional behavior” when he plowed into the crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” she said.
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He evaded the city’s barriers and patrol cars. “This particular terrorist drove around onto the sidewalk and got around the hard target. We did have a car there. We had barriers there. We had officers there. And they still got around,” she said later in the day.
After crashing into the crowd, he exited his vehicle and fired at police officers, striking two. Both officers are in stable condition, Kirkpatrick said.
Law enforcement returned fire and the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene, the FBI said.
“He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” Kirkpatrick added.
The FBI confirmed that they do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack following earlier leads that he may have had accomplices.
Disturbing footage of suspect ‘threatening to kill his family’
Investigators are reviewing a series of disturbing footage where the suspect revealed plans to kill his family and “proclaimed his support for ISIS”, Raia confirmed at the press conference.
The footage was filmed at night while the suspect was driving from his home in Houston to New Orleans.
Videos were time-stamped at at 1:29 a.m and again at 3:02 a.m on January 1, Raia said. In the footage, Jabbar explained how he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but worried the news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and disbelievers,” Raia added.
In the videos Jabbar referred to dreams that he had about becoming inspired to join the terror group, officials told CNN.
What was the suspect’s background?
Law enforcement has confirmed the suspect was an Army veteran and images have emerged of Jabbar in Army uniform.
An Army spokesperson later confirmed to ABC that Jabbar served in human resources and information technology roles in the Army from 2007 to 2015, during which he deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
He continued as an IT specialist in the Army Reserve from 2015 to 2020, the spokesperson said. His listed jobs were not direct combat roles.
Jabbar was honorably discharged from the Army after he was caught drunk-driving on base, the Washington Post reported. He was charged in February 2015 and pleaded guilty.
The suspect had earlier enlisted in the Navy, in August 2024, though he never went to boot camp and was discharged from the delayed entry program one month later, according to a Navy spokesperson.
In a resurfaced YouTube video posted in 2020, Jabbar says he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and spent a decade working in the U.S. military before becoming a Realtor in the Houston area.
Public records suggest he was involved in consulting and real estate. Court records also indicate he was divorced.
In an August 2022 court document, seen by The Independent, the suspect said that he worked at Deloitte, earning $10,000 a month, or $120,000 a year.
But earlier that year, according to the New York Times, the suspect alluded to his financial issues in an email, claiming he owed over $27,000 in late home payments and was at risk of foreclosure. Because he needed to hire a lawyer and pay living expenses, he said he had taken on $16,000 in credit card debt, the outlet reported.
‘No definitive link’ to Tesla Cybertruck blast in Las Vegas
Investigators had been looking into a possible link between Jabbar and the driver in the Tesla Cybertruck blast outside Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel on the morning of New Year’s Day.
Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a former Army veteran of Colorado Springs, was allegedly behind the wheel when the vehicle exploded, according to local media reports, and is believed to have served at the same military base, sources told Denver7.
However, Raia told Thursday’s press conference that there was “no definitive link” between the two incidents.
“We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling everything out,” Raia said. “However, at this point, there is no definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas.”
Who are the victims?
On Wednesday evening, the New Orleans coroner announced that 15 people, including the suspect, have died, while more than 30 were injured.
Most of the wounded individuals were taken to University Medical Center, while others were sent to Touro Hospital, East Jefferson General Hospital, Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Campus, or Ochsner Baptist Campus, police said.
Most victims appeared to be locals, not tourists, police said.
The two officers who were struck by gunfire were in stable condition and are being treated, Kirkpatrick said.
So far seven individuals who were killed have been identified as Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, an 18-year-old who traveled to New Orleans from Gulfport with her cousin and friend to celebrate the New Year, 28-year-old Tiger Bech, a former Princeton football player, Reggie Hunter, a 37-year-old Baton Rouge father of two, Matthew Tenedorio, a 25-year-old audiovisual technician who worked at the Superdome, Nicole Perez, 27, mom to a four-year-old boy, 21-year-old Hubert Gauthreaux and Kareem Badawi, a University of Alabama college freshman.
Jackson described Hunter, her cousin, as a doting father to his sons, ages 11 and one, and an “awesome person” with a “big heart.” “He just didn’t deserve this,” Jackson told NBC.
She added: “I wish the mom who I’ve seen at the hospital wasn’t crying ... I don’t even know the lady. She was crying because her daughter was dead. Another Black couple, their son was dead.”