Who was the New Orleans attacker? Texas man ID'd as suspect, 7 victims identified
The FBI has identified the man who allegedly rammed his truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers in New Orleans, killing at least 14, as a 42-year-old Texas man named Shamsud Din Jabbar.
Federal agents say the deadly assault is being investigated as "an act of terrorism." Jabbar was fatally shot by police after he opened fire on officers.
Here's what we know about the suspect.
Watch live: Update on New Orleans truck attack
What happened in New Orleans on New Year's Day 2025?
Jabbar's motive for the assault is unknown. Just after 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, he allegedly drove his pickup truck at high speed around barricades set up on Bourbon Street. He then got out of the truck and shot at local police, the FBI said. Three police officers returned fire and killed the suspect, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. Two officers wounded in the gunfire were reported in stable condition.
Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent for the FBI in New Orleans, said in a news conference they do not believe Jabbar was "solely responsible" for the attack, which authorities have labeled an "act of terrorism." Officials said the death toll remains at least 14, but some of the injured people were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The FBI's bomb technicians are working to determine whether explosive devices found in the truck and elsewhere in the city's French Quarter were viable, the agency said.
"Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle," the FBI said. "Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter."
Court records show that Jabbar was convicted of misdemeanor theft in Harris County for a 2002 incident. He also was convicted in 2005 for driving with a suspended license, according to The New York Times.
Duncan would not confirm details about Jabbar's arrest history during the press conference.
The New Year's Day attack also came hours before the city would host the Sugar Bowl college football game between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia; as a result of the heightened concern over the attack, the game was postponed.
Gov. Greg Abbott said he ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to "get to the bottom" of the attack with a "special focus to ensure no one in Texas faces any threat."
Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis said in a statement the department would be "increasing officer visibility" in the wake of the attack, although she noted there were "no known threats to the Austin community at this time."
Suspect in New Orleans attack was in financial trouble
Jabbar, the suspected driver in the Bourbon Street rampage on New Year's Day in New Orleans, had been having severe financial difficulties despite holding a $120,000-a-year job, according to court records obtained by Paste BN.
Court records in Texas show Jabbar, who has been married and divorced twice, had written of financial troubles during his legal ups and downs with wives. As he negotiated his second divorce two years ago, his attorney attached records to court files indicating Jabbar’s finances were limited.
“Time is of the essence. 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,” Jabbar wrote to his attorney in January 2022.
Jabbar proposed selling the couple's home in Fresno, Texas, and dividing the equity. He also mentioned two real estate holding companies he formed. He proposed $1,100 child support and mentioned his two children.
Later, a detailed summary of Jabbar’s finances listed a paystub from Deloitte, the global accounting firm. He listed a gross salary of $120,000 per year. He listed credit card, student loan and other debts in excess of $41,000.
FBI investigating New Orleans attack suspect's potential ties to ISIS
The New York Times confirmed that Jabbar was a U.S. citizen from Beaumont and had served in the U.S. Army, which is also shown in public records. He carried an ISIS flag on the trailer hitch of the truck used in Wednesday's deadly assault. The Ford pickup truck appeared to be rented, the FBI said, and the Houston Chronicle reported that the vehicle was registered in Houston.
"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 statement said.
Jabbar enlisted in the Army in 2007, at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when more than 100,000 U.S. troops had deployed to war zones, according to the Army and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
His initial specialty was a human resource specialist, a job whose duties included payroll, mail delivery and processing medals. He became an information technology specialist, a common transition in the Army. As an IT solider, he would have been trained as a computer-system troubleshooter.
Jabbar deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 until Jan. 2015. He was posted at bases including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska and what was then Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
After his deployment, Jabbar joined the Army Reserve and continued serving as an IT specialist until July 2020. He left the Army as a staff sergeant and received an honorable discharge, according to the official.
Several New Orleans attack victims identified
Although law enforcement and officials have yet to publicly identify any of the victims in the New Orleans attack, the family and friends of some have stepped forward. Paste BN has identified the following four victims:
- Martin "Tiger" Bech, 28, of Lafayette, Louisiana was a former Princeton football player who worked as a junior bond trader for a Wall Street company, his mother said. Bech, a wide receiver and punt returner, had trained with his younger brother, Jack. Jack Bech is a wide receiver at Texas Christian University.
- Ni'Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, was a recent high school graduate identified by her mother on social media.
- Reggie Hunter, 37, of Baton Rouge was a father of two boys, ages 11 and 1, and worked as a manager at a warehouse. His cousin Shirell Jackson described him as an "awesome person" and "a little-bitty guy" with a "big heart."
- Nicole Perez, 27, was a single mother of a 4-year-old son. According to a New Orleans news outlet, she had recently been promoted to manager at Kimmy's Deli in Metairie, Louisiana.
NBC News reports Matthew Tenedorio, 25, has been identified by his mother, Cathy Tenedorio of Carriere, Mississippi. The young man appears to have been an audiovisual technician at the Superdome.
New Orleans' Fox News has identified two more victims. Kareem Badawi was a recent graduate of Episcopal High School. Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, had in 2021 graduated from Archbishop Shaw High School, a Catholic school in Marrero, Louisiana.
— Paste BN contributed to this report. This story was updated with new information.