Investigators have identified Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, as the suspect who intentionally rammed his vehicle into New Orleans revelers early on New Year’s Day.
Jabbar, a U.S Army veteran from Texas, is accused of plowing a pickup truck into crowds around 3:15 a.m. on Bourbon Street, killing at least 10 people and injuring 35 more.
He died during a shootout with police, officials said.
Live updates: FBI believes driver in New Orleans attack wasn’t ‘solely responsible,’ IEDs found in vehicle
Officials said he drove onto a sidewalk, bypassing a police car that had been parked to block cars from accessing pedestrians celebrating on Bourbon Street, before slamming into a crowd of revelers.
Witnesses described a terrifying and bloody scene as people attempted to jump out of the way or take cover in nearby bars.
“We heard the truck barrel by as more people piled in,” said New Orleans resident Jimmy Cothran, who watched the carnage unfold from a nightclub balcony.
According to preliminary information, Jabbar had a black flag affixed to the hitch of the pickup truck he allegedly drove into the crowd. Officials are investigating whether that flag is related to the terrorist group ISIS and any connections he had with terrorist organizations.
The incident is being investigated both as a terrorist attack and a crime scene, federal and local officials said.
“We’re leaning in. We will be relentless, and we will do everything that it takes to render real justice,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said during a news conference.
New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said Jabbar drove onto the sidewalk and around a “hard target” — which included officers, barriers and a car — to carry out the attack.
The pickup truck that authorities say he drove into unsuspecting revelers appears to have been a rented F-150 Lightning truck, according to photos from the aftermath of the incident.
Car-sharing marketplace Turo said that the vehicle in the attack was rented from its company.
The FBI, which is leading the investigation, said weapons and potential improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were located in the suspect’s car and in the French Quarter.
Officials are looking into at least two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that may have been planted near the incident area to see if those were actual explosive devices and if they were operable.
Investigators do not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the attack and have asked for the public’s assistance.
“We’re aggressively running down all of the leads to identify this, the possible subjects, associates, we’re working to ensure that there is no further threat,” Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, told reporters.
Jabbar served in the Army on active duty from 2006 to 2015, then in the Army Reserves from 2015 to 2020, according to three U.S. defense officials.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and served as an administrative clerk. He was a staff sergeant in 2020 when he was honorably discharged.
Separately, he tried to enlist in the Navy in 2004 but never shipped or began training, according to a spokesperson.
Texas criminal records show that Jabbar had previously been charged in 2002 for a misdemeanor theft and in 2005 for driving with an invalid license.
Civil records show Jabbar was married twice, with his first marriage ending in 2012. A petition for a second divorce was initiated in 2021.
A woman who identified herself as Jabbar’s sister-in-law and asked to not be named said relatives in Texas were in shock when they heard the news.
“It don’t make no sense,” she said. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever known.”
“I really don’t know what happened,” she added. “He was a good man. He takes care of his children and everything.”
She said some family members were heading from Texas to New Orleans.
Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans are investigating if Din Jabbar used a long-gun rifle and fired it into the crowd as he ran people over, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.
“Please join me in praying for the victims and their families, as well as our first responders, in the wake of this horrific act of violence on Bourbon Street,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., in a post on X.
