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By Monica Sager
Live News Reporter
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Footage posted to social media by a retired FBI agent seemingly shows the suspect who allegedly drove into a crowd at a New Year's celebration in New Orleans, driving a white truck around police vehicles.
Newsweek reached out to the FBI national press office and the New Orleans FBI office via phone for comment.
Why It Matters
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, has been named the suspect in the New Year's attack on Bourbon Street that killed at least 10 people and injured 30 early Wednesday morning. The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. A key line of inquiry is whether the attack was orchestrated or inspired by a foreign terrorist group.
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Jennifer Coffindaffer, a retired FBI agent and a law and justice contributor to News Nation, posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, that she said "looks like the terrorist simply pulled in around the police vehicles." The video shows the suspect turning into the area where the attack was about to take place.
What To Know
The attack occurred around 4:15 a.m. EST in the French Quarter, one of New Orleans' busiest areas, during the city's New Year's Eve celebrations. The event was just hours before the Sugar Bowl. Four of the 15 deceased victims have been identified by their families: Reggie Hunter, Nikyra Dedeaux, Tiger Bech and Nicole Perez. Thirty others were injured in the attack.
The New Orleans Police Department said the suspect opened fire on officers after the vehicle came to a stop. He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which officials said was rented through the Turo app.
Security barriers along Bourbon Street were being replaced, according to the New Orleans government website. The bollards are meant to stand at each crosswalk along Bourbon Street. The truck drove around the police vehicles where the permanent traffic barriers were not deployed.
Officers returned fire, and the suspect was struck, police said in a news release. He was subsequently pronounced dead.
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the male suspect "was trying to run over as many people as he could." She said the incident was the result of "intentional behavior."
An ISIS flag was found in the vehicle, according to the FBI. The bureau is working to determine the suspect's potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.
Weapons and a potential IED were also located in the vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter, according to a press release from the FBI.
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Jabbar was a Houston resident. In 2005, he was charged with driving with a suspended license and in 2002, he was charged with misdemeanor theft, according to records previously reviewed by Newsweek. President Joe Biden confirmed at the press conference from Camp David on Wednesday that Jabbar had served in the United States Army and was on "active duty for many years." Jabbar had also served in the Army Reserves "until a few years ago."
He was allegedly staying at an Airbnb, which burned down earlier Wednesday, about a mile and a half away from the attacks.
Wednesday morning's attack was the second on people during the holiday season with a vehicle as the weapon. On December 20, a man drove a car into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five people and injuring hundreds. In that case, officials described the arrested suspect as a 50-year-old psychiatrist from Saudi Arabia with a history of anti-Islamic rhetoric and sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany Party.
What People Are Saying
New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick: "Last night, we had over 300 officers out here. And because of the intentional mindset of this perpetrator who went around our barricades in order to conduct this, he was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did."
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, on X: "A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning. Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area."
President Joe Biden, in a statement: "I will continue to receive updates throughout the day, and I will have more to say as we have further information to share. In the meantime, my heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday. There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation's communities."
What's Next
The FBI will be the lead agency in the investigation. Anyone with information that can assist is asked to contact the FBI's New Orleans Bureau by calling (504) 816-3000 or by emailing tips@fbi.gov.
The public is being asked to avoid Bourbon Street north from Canal to Dumaine Street, east to Royal Street, and west to Dauphine Street until further notice.
Update: 1/1/25, 8:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information.
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