New Orleans truck attack suspect identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar: What we know
NEW ORLEANS - Fourteen people were killed and dozens more were injured when a man intentionally drove into a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street early New Year's morning, officials say.
According to the FBI, the man who drove into the crowd was killed after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement officers following the attack.
MORE: New Orleans live updates: Driver plows into Bourbon Street crowd, killing 10
Who is the New Orleans truck attack suspect?
Shamsud-Din Jabbar (Photo provided by FBI)
The FBI identified the suspect as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
According to the FBI, he is a U.S.-born citizen from Texas and an Army veteran.
RELATED: New Orleans truck attack suspect identified as Houston resident, FOX News reports
According to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Jabbar is from the Houston area.
Patrick says Jabbar rented the pickup truck on Monday and had been driving the rented vehicle in Houston before heading to New Orleans.
RELATED: New Orleans attack: Truck with Texas license plates plowed into crowd on Bourbon Street
Shamsud-Din Jabbar's Army service record
According to an Army Spokesperson, Jabbar was in the Army as a Human Resource Specialist (42A) and Information Technology (IT) Specialist (25B) from March 2007 until January 2015. He was then in the Army Reserve as an IT Specialist (25B) from January 2015 until July 2020.
The spokesperson says he deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
At the end of his service, he held the rank of Staff Sergeant, the spokesperson said.
Texas records detail failed businesses, marriages, debt
Criminal history
As FOX 26's Abigail Dye reports, court records show Jabbar was charged with misdemeanor theft out of Harris County in 2002 and driving with a suspended license out of Jefferson County in 2005.
Civil records
Civil records in Texas provide details on two marriages:
- Jabbar was married in 2008, according to Jefferson County records. Records show that ex-partner sued him for child support in Harris County in 2012.
- Records from Fort Bend County show he was re-married to a new partner in 2017, and divorce papers were filed in 2021. The records include an email that Jabbar sent to his ex-partner in 2022, detailing tens of thousands of dollars in debt and saying that the three businesses he founded were profitless.
MORE: What Texas records show on New Orleans attack suspect
Driver believed to have acted intentionally
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver went around the barricades blocking Bourbon Street and drove down the street at a fast pace, "trying to run over as many people as he possibly could."
"He was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did," Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick also described it as "very intentional behavior." She said it was not a case of an intoxicated driver.
"This is more complex and more serious based on the information we have right now," Kirkpatrick said.
The French Quarter, near Bourbon Street is blocked off late morning with a heavy police and FBI presence after a Terrorist attack early in the morning in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 2025. At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured Wednes
Driver's potential terrorist organization ties investigated
In a statement Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said the FBI is investigating the incident as "an act of terrorism."
The FBI says an ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the agency is working to determine any possible associations with terrorist organizations.
The FBI says weapons and a potential improvised explosive device were found in the man's vehicle, and other potential IEDs were also found in the French Quarter. Technicians were working to determine if they were viable and render them safe.
Driver isn't believed to have acted alone
The FBI says Jabbar isn't believed to be solely responsible, and the agency is running down leads of any known associates.
The FBI would like to speak to anyone who interacted with Jabbar in the last 72 hours.
Anyone with information, videos or pictures is also asked to provide them to the FBI.
Call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online.
The Source: The information in this article is from the New Orleans Police Department, the FBI and the Army. Additional information from previous FOX 26 reporting. This story was reported from Houston.