FBI Believes Jabbar Acted Alone in New Orleans Terror Attack

FBI Believes Jabbar Acted Alone in New Orleans Terror Attack

I’ll update this post during the day as we get more information about the terror attack in New Orleans on Wednesday.

At 3:15 AM on New Year’s Day, Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, murdering 15 people. He started a shootout with the police, injuring two officers.

The police killed Jabbar. They found an ISIS flag in the truck and explosive devices.

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DHS Warned of Potential Attacks by People Using Cars

CNN revealed that DHS warned law enforcement of potential attacks by people using cars to plow down crowds during the holidays.

DHS shared it with other agencies after a man drove his car through a crowd at a German Christmas market:

Joint bulletins are distributed to federal, state, and local law enforcement from DHS, FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center to inform them about potential threats. They are shared among law enforcement when necessary, and generally ahead of the holiday season.

In the bulletin obtained by CNN, the agen cies warned that “lone offenders pose most likely threat of violence to soft targets in the Homeland during winter holidays,” referring to individuals acting alone.

“Lone offenders have historically used simple tactics, such as edged weapons, firearms, or vehicle ramming, due to their ease of access, ability to inflict mass casualties, and lack of required training,” the bulletin reads, listing other incidents in previous years.

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FBI Press Conference

The FBI had a press conference. Here are a few points.

Christopher Raia, a deputy assistant director in the FBI’s counterterrorism division, said (emphasis mine): “Let me very clear about this point: This was an act of terrorism. It was pre-meditated, and an evil act.”

Raia confirmed the agency believes Jabbar acted alone. He also said ISIS inspired Jabbar:

“So what I can tell you right now is that he was 100% inspired by ISIS. And so we’re digging — we’re digging through more of the social media, more interviews, working with some of our other partners to-to ascertain just how to ascertain a little bit more about that connection.”

Raia said 14 people died and 35 were injured.

Authorities found two coolers in the French Quarter:

Investigators found two explosive devices in coolers in the French Quarter neighborhood, according to the F.B.I., and surveillance footage shows Jabbar placing the items where they were later found. One was at the corner of Bourbon and Orleans Street and another was about two blocks away. Both were rendered safe.

“Many people stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued on their way,” the F.B.I.’s Christopher Raia says of one of the improvised explosive devices. He said those people are not believed to be involved, but rather innocent bystanders that the agency wants to speak with.

FBI confirmed the social media video from Jabbar:

The man who carried out the attack, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, said in a video he posted online that he originally planned to hurt his relatives and friends but worried that news media coverage would not focus on the “war between the believers and disbelievers,” according to Christopher Raia in the F.B.I.’s counterterrorism division. Raia said the suspect said he had joined ISIS before this past summer.

Three phones linked to Jabbar have been recovered, Raia says. He said that the F.B.I. has also recovered two computers from a nearby address in New Orleans.

Jabbar rented the truck on December 30 in Houston. He drove to New Orleans on December 31.

He made the social posts on his drive to New Orleans.

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Jabbar Acted Alone, Agents Searched His Home and Airbnb

Fox News confirmed the FBI believes Jabbar acted alone.

Federal agents searched Jabbar’s home and an Airbnb they believe he rented:

The FBI and local law enforcement partners searched the New Orleans attacker’s home in Houston on Thursday morning, the FBI Houston office said in a statement.

“At approximately 7:50 a.m., FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office concluded a court-authorized search and cleared the 12000 block of Crescent Peak Drive. At this time, there is no threat to residents in that area. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, we are unable to provide any details. FBI New Orleans remains the primary field office responsible for investigating yesterday’s Bourbon Street attack,” FBI Houston said.

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Possible People of Interest

On Wednesday, the authorities said they did not think Jabbar acted alone.

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told NBC News: “We have people of interest. They are not people who are suspects at this time.”

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15 People Murdered by Jabbar

CNN has information about three of the victims.

• Tiger Bech, 27: Former Princeton football player and junior trader for Seaport Global Holdings.
• Reggie Hunter, 37: Father of two.
• Kareem Badawi: University of Alabama student.

Fox News has more:

• Nikyra Dedeaux, 18: Aspiring nurse with a job at a hospital. She was about to begin college.
• Nicole Perez, 28: Single mom to 4-year-old boy and just promoted to manager at Kimmy’s Deli.
• Reggie Hunter, 37: Father of two and warehouse manager.
• Hubert Gauthreaux, 21: Graduated from Archbishop Shaw High School in 2021.

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Sugar Bowl

The terror attack pushed the Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and the University of Georgia to today.

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told NBC News that the city will have Super Bowl-level security:

“We are going to have absolutely hundreds of officers and staff lining our streets,” Kirkpatrick said, specifically mentioning Bourbon Street, where yesterday’s attack unfolded.

“We are staffing up at the same level if not more so than we were prepared for Super Bowl,” she said, with the Super Bowl set to take place Feb. 9 at Caesars Superdome.

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