[1/2]Shamsud-Din Jabbar, suspect from a New Orleans attack, is shown in a social media image, released in November 2013, in Fort Johnson (formerly Fort Polk), Louisiana, U.S., 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division via Facebook via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Jabbar was an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan
Jabbar reportedly had an Islamic State flag on his truck, according to the FBI
Suspect, a U.S. citizen who grew up in Texas, was killed in attack
Jan 1 (Reuters) – The 42-year-old Texas man who crashed a truck into New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others, served in the U.S. Army for 13 years that included a deployment to Afghanistan, the Army said.
Federal law enforcement and local law enforcement in the New Orleans area said that Jabbar did not act alone, and that they are searching for accomplices. Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck and that the FBI views the attack as a possible act of terrorism. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Sunni Muslim militant group that has conducted attacks around the globe.
While the investigation is continuing, there has been nothing so far to suggest why Jabbar, a U.S. citizen raised in Texas, would launch the New Orleans attack. Jabbar was fatally shot in a shootout with police at the scene, officials said.
Jabbar was a human resource specialist and information technology specialist in the Army from 2007 to 2015. He subsequently served in the Army Reserve as an IT specialist until 2020, rising to the rank of staff sergeant by the time he left the service, according to an Army official.
Jabbar joined the Navy in August 2004 under a delayed entry program but was discharged the following month, before he served in the Army, a Navy official said.
Jabbar became involved in a series of businesses in recent years, corporate records show.
In a promotional video for a real estate company that was uploaded to YouTube in 2020, a man with the same name as the suspect said that his military service had taught him the value of great service and that he took everything seriously.
“I’ve been able to take those skills and bring them into my career as the real estate agent where I feel, you know what sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to one be a fierce negotiator,” he said before encouraging clients to call.
The man in the video identified himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Properties LLC, a Texas-based company whose license expired in 2022. He was licensed as a real estate sales agent for four years, until February 2023, according to records.
He was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, he said.
Reuters could not contact anyone at the number Jabbar gave in the video. Efforts to reach Jabbar’s relatives were also unsuccessful.
Jabbar was renting the Ford pickup truck that he used to smash into the crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on Wednesday morning, according to the FBI. Jabbar then sprayed gunfire on police, wounding 35 on top of the at least 10 casualties that have occurred.
Investigators were looking into possible ties to terrorist organizations after seeing the ISIS flag in the truck. Investigators determined that there had been weapons and a possible explosive device in the vehicle and other possible explosive devices in the French Quarter.
“We don’t think Jabbar acted alone. A FBI assistant special agent in charge, Alethea Duncan, told a briefing Wednesday, “We are aggressively running down every lead, including all of his known associates.
Jabbar was divorced in 2022, according to court records, ending his marriage of five years. The couple had one child.
He does not seem to have any history of violent crime before the attack. Jabbar had been charged in Texas with a misdemeanor in 2002 over a property theft and arrested in 2005 for driving with an invalid license, according to Texas court and criminal records.
