NEW ORLEANS—At approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, New Year’s Day, an individual identified as 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 15 and injuring at 30 others. Find the full list of victims here.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry issued a State of Emergency in Orleans Parish following Wednesday’s massacre to mobilize state resources ahead of the Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras.
“From day one, my commitment to the people of this state has been that we will not look the other way. We will not allow heinous acts of crime such as the one this morning to dampen the Louisiana spirit and ruin our way of life. This Administration will not tolerate one of the jewel cities of the State to remain with these conditions. This state of emergency is a necessity in order to ensure that every single person, place, and street across the city of New Orleans is the most safe and secure in the world,” said Governor Landry.
After plowing through the crowd, Jabbar exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene, the FBI reports. Two law enforcement officers were injured and transported to a local hospital.
The F-150 Ford truck driven by Jabber and used in the New Orleans terror attack earlier New Year’s Day morning, and the Tesla Cybertruck which exploded at Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas were both rented through carsharing app Turo, per AP. The FBI believes Jabbar was not acting alone. An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. At least two other potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter. A pipe bomb with nails and plastic explosives concealed inside of an ice chest was located near a parked police vehicle at Orleans and Bourbon streets, Nola.com reports. A second explosive device was also found in the 600 block of Bourbon Street.
The Sugar Bowl has been postponed to 8:45 p.m. EST, Friday, January 2, following the New Orleans terror attack. The game, between Notre Dame and The University of Georgia, were to originally take place January 1.
According to Nola.com, Jabbar lived in Fresno, Texas — about 20 miles south of Houston — with his wife before they divorced in August 2022. He held a real estate license from 2019 to 2023. Jabbar appeared to post a YouTube video four years ago promoting his real estate business.
The FBI is leading the investigation and is working with its partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism, the agency released in a statement.
“For people who don’t believe in objective evil, all you have to do is look at what happened in New Orleans early this morning,” Louisiana Senator John Kennedy (R) said in a presser following the attack.
During Wednesday’s presser, Senator Kennedy called on the FBI to “catch these people and then tell the American people the truth.” He alluded to knowing information about the case which he cannot divulge at this time.
“I will promise you this, when it is appropriate and this investigation is complete, you will find out what happened and who was responsible, or I will raise fresh hell. And I will chase those in the federal government who are responsible for telling us what happened like they stole Christmas.”
The recent terrorist attack in New Orleans comes on the heels of the Magdeburg Christmas attack in Germany, where that suspect used a vehicle.
NEW FOOTAGE from New Orleans shows the moments Shamsud Din Jabbar steps out of his vehicle after crashing it and begins shooting.
The suspect was struck by police fire and declared dead at the scene. pic.twitter.com/CeduvaJw0f
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) January 1, 2025
Author: Mario Lotmore
