Federal authorities confirmed Thursday that Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the perpetrator behind the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans, acted alone in what they described as an Islamic State (IS)-inspired act of terrorism. The assault, carried out with a rented pickup truck, left 14 dead and at least 30 injured in the heart of the city's famed French Quarter.
"This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act," said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division. Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, was fatally shot during a firefight with police shortly after the attack.
The rampage began just after 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street, as revelers celebrated the New Year. Driving a rented Ford F-150 Lightning, Jabbar plowed through barricades and into the crowd, creating a scene of chaos and devastation. Authorities later discovered two improvised explosive devices placed nearby, though neither detonated.
In the hours leading up to the attack, Jabbar posted five videos to Facebook in which he expressed allegiance to IS and previewed his plans for violence. In one video, he claimed to have joined IS in the summer of 2024 and declared his intention to wage a "war between the believers and the disbelievers." Investigators also recovered an IS flag from the truck Jabbar drove.
Jabbar's path to radicalization remains unclear. A former Army staff sergeant who served in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, he transitioned to the Army Reserve in 2015 before leaving the military in 2020. He worked in IT and business development roles, and his resume lists degrees in computer science and information technology. However, recent years saw him embroiled in financial struggles and personal turmoil, including two contentious divorces.
"He was very well-tempered, slow to anger," said his younger brother, Abdur-Rahim Jabbar. "That's why it was so unbelievable that he would be capable of something like this."
Jabbar's recent behavior, however, raised no red flags for those around him. A neighbor in Houston, Mumtaz Bashir, recalled seeing Jabbar load his truck on December 31, mentioning he was moving to New Orleans for a new job. Bashir said he was a nice but quiet person.
Investigators are examining Jabbar's travels, including a 2023 trip to Egypt and a visit to Toronto, as they piece together his journey from a decorated veteran to a domestic terrorist. Raia confirmed that Jabbar's attack was not linked to a separate incident in Las Vegas, where a Tesla Cybertruck filled with explosives detonated outside a Trump hotel.
As New Orleans mourns, the city is determined to move forward. Bourbon Street reopened just hours after authorities cleared the scene, and Mayor LaToya Cantrell emphasized the city's resilience. "We're ready to continue to host large-scale events in our city because we are built to host at every single turn," she said, noting that the Sugar Bowl, postponed by a day for security reasons, went ahead Thursday evening.
The attack has reignited concerns about lone-wolf terrorism and IS-inspired violence on U.S. soil. Federal officials, while asserting that Jabbar acted alone, are investigating whether online radicalization played a role.
