A US Army veteran who crashed a truck into a crowd celebrating New Year’s Day had declared allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group, but acted independently in the attack that resulted in at least 14 fatalities, according to the FBI.
The individual, who was killed at the scene after engaging with police, has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old resident of Texas who previously served in Afghanistan.
On December 31, he traveled from Houston to New Orleans and uploaded five videos on Facebook between 1:29 AM and 3:02 AM on the day of the attack, in which he expressed his support for IS, the Islamic militant organization active in Iraq and Syria, as stated by the FBI.
In the initial video, Jabbar revealed he had once contemplated harming his family and friends but was apprehensive that media coverage would fail to highlight the “war between the believers and the disbelievers,” remarked FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia during a press briefing.
“This was an act of terrorism,” Mr. Raia asserted. “It was premeditated and a wicked act.”
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Officials in New Orleans mentioned that the Sugar Bowl college football game, which is part of a New Year’s Day tradition, would still take place this afternoon.
The city is also set to host the NFL’s Super Bowl next month.
The FBI indicated that there appeared to be no connection between the New Orleans incident and the unrelated event in Las Vegas on the same day, where a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with fuel canisters and large firework mortars exploded outside the Trump International Hotel, mere weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20.
FBI agents carry out search operations around Bourbon Street
The New Orleans attack left several individuals injured, including two police officers who were hit by gunfire from the suspect, occurring just three hours into the new year on Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter.
At least 15 individuals died, including the assailant, according to the FBI.
The victims included a mother of a four-year-old who had just relocated to a new apartment following a job promotion, a financial employee from New York and accomplished student-athlete visiting home for the holidays, and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse from Mississippi.
Read More: New Orleans attacker was US Army vet ‘inspired’ by Islamic State
Witnesses recounted a harrowing experience.
“There were people everywhere,” Kimberly Strickland from Mobile, Alabama, recalled in an interview.
“You just heard this screech and the revving of the engine followed by a massive loud crash, and then the screams of people and debris—just metal—accompanied by the sounds of crunching metal and bodies.”
Meanwhile, authorities in other US cities reported increased security measures, including around Trump Tower and Times Square in New York City, noting no immediate threats were identified.
In Washington, law enforcement also announced a heightened presence as the capital gears up for three significant events this month: Congress’ certification of US President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory on January 6, the state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter on January 9, and Mr. Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
The attack happened amid New Year’s celebrations
The FBI disclosed that an IS flag was discovered on the trailer hitch of the rented vehicle used in the New Orleans incident.
US President Joe Biden condemned the act, labeling it as “despicable.”
Public records revealed that Jabbar was involved in real estate in Houston.
In a promotional video released four years prior, he stated that he was born and raised in Beaumont, a city approximately 130 km east of Houston.
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Jabbar served in the regular Army from March 2007 until January 2015 and was in the Army Reserve from January 2015 until July 2020, according to an Army spokesperson.
He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and achieved the rank of staff sergeant by the end of his service.
IS is a militant group that once instilled terror across millions in Iraq and Syria before its decline due to a sustained military campaign led by a US coalition.
Despite being diminished in the battlefield, IS continues to attract sympathizers online, according to experts.
