New Orleans car attacker had Islamic State group flag, was a US military veteran
The man who drove a truck into a crowd of New Year's Eve revellers in New Orleans early on Wednesday morning was a US citizen named Shamsud-Din Jabbar and was carrying the flag of the Islamic State (IS) group, the FBI said.
"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," the FBI said in a statement, using another acronym for the IS group.
The suspect killed at least 10 and injured dozens before being shot in an exchange of gunfire with police. Two homemade bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), were found in the attacker’s truck, the FBI said.
US investigators say Jabbar may not have acted alone, with the FBI saying it is investigating the incident "as an act of terrorism".
"We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible," FBI special agent Alethea Duncan said on Wednesday.
The French Quarter is a historic district known for its vibrant nightlife, with many bars, restaurants and jazz history. The area is well known for the raucous pre-Lenten street party known as Mardi Gras.
The city was also hosting tens of thousands of people who came to see an annual college football game called the Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled to go ahead despite the tragedy.
Israel’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that two Israeli citizens were wounded in the attack and that Israeli officials were in touch with their families. It was not immediately clear whether the attack was related to Israel and the conflict in the Middle East.
The FBI is still trying to assess the motives of Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen who was born and raised in Texas.
A video posted on YouTube features a man who appears to be Jabbar, claiming he was born in Beaumont, Texas, and living in Houston. “I’ve been here all my life, with the exception of travelling for the military,” the man says. On camera, he is well-groomed, with a trim goatee, and he is wearing a blue dress shirt and sports jacket.
Read More »He pitches himself as a seasoned real estate agent. A caption in the clip states he is a property manager with Blue Meadow Properties and a team leader at The Midas Group.
In the video, he says that he spent ten years in the military working as a human resources and IT specialist, where “I learned the meaning of great service and what it means to be responsive, dotting i’s and crossing t's.” He goes on to say in a pitch for his real estate services, “What really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be a fierce negotiator.”
According to criminal records in Texas, Jabbar had previously been charged with two minor infractions, including a 2002 misdemeanour for theft and a 2005 violation for driving with an invalid licence.
He also had two failed marriages, with the first ending in 2012. His second marriage ended in 2022.
There are conflicting facts about Jabbar’s financial status. A court document he filed in August 2022 says he worked for the Deloitte accounting firm and made $120,000 a year, according to The New York Times.
However, earlier court documents from his second divorce appeared to show financial problems, with The New York Times reporting an email he wrote to his wife’s lawyer saying, “I cannot afford the house payment.”
“It is past due in excess of $27,000 and in danger of foreclosure if we delay settling the divorce,” the email said.
He also said he had accumulated $16,000 in credit card debt.
