A Texas man who killed 14 people in a New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans appears to have acted alone, an FBI official said Thursday. The suspect, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, expressed support for the Islamic State before the attack and was inspired by ISIS, according to Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the bureau’s counterterrorism division.
Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen from Texas, had served eight years in the US Army and deployed to Afghanistan. He rented a Ford pickup truck with an Islamic State flag on it and posted videos on Facebook explaining his motives.
The FBI found no definitive link between Jabbar’s attack and an explosion at a Trump hotel in Las Vegas that injured seven people. However, investigators are still reviewing social media accounts and electronic devices linked to Jabbar to learn more about his radicalization.
Jabbar was shot by police during the pursuit of the truck after he plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street. He had posted videos saying he originally planned to harm his family and friends but wanted news headlines to focus on the “war between believers and disbelievers.”
The attack has not deterred the city, with thousands of fans attending the Sugar Bowl game at the Superdome. Local officials have stated that New Orleans is built to host large public events and will continue to do so.
Jabbar’s truck stopped outside a Bourbon Street bar, where customers reported seeing him before he was shot by police. Visitors say the attack has only made them more determined to carry on with life in New Orleans.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/us/new-orleans-terror-truck-attack.html