What We Know About New Orleans Attack Suspect

A Texas man has been named as the suspect in the deadly New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day, which has killed at least 15 people. 

The attack, which is now considered an act of terrorism by the FBI, occurred at 3:15 a.m. local time when the pickup truck driven by the deceased subject — identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas — plowed through the crowded Bourbon Street area.

“At approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans,” the FBI said in a statement. “After hitting the crowd, he exited the vehicle and fired upon local law enforcement. Law enforcement returned fire, and the subject was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

“He was driving a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented, and we are working to confirm how the subject came into possession of the vehicle,” the FBI continued.

After he crashed the vehicle, Jabbar was involved in a police shootout which left two officers injured, but in stable condition. The New Orleans Police Department previously confirmed to PEOPLE that the driver died in the exchange. 

As details continue to emerge about Jabbar and the attack, here’s what we know so far.

According to multiple U.S. defense officials, Jabbar was a U.S. Army veteran who served on active duty from the mid-2000s to 2015, reported NBC News and CNN. While on active duty, he was a human resources specialist and information technology specialist, according to CNN.

He was then in the Army Reserves until 2020, per the outlets.

While on active duty in 2009, Jabbar was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009, where he served as an administrative clerk before he was discharged in 2020 as a staff sergeant, officials said, reported NBC News.

“We believe he was honorably discharged, but we are working through this process, figuring out all this information,” said Alethea Duncan, an assistant FBI special agent, during a Wednesday press conference, according to CNN.

Jabbar was married twice, according to NBC News, which reported that his first divorce occurred in 2012, while a second petition for divorce was filed in 2021 and finalized the following year.

Texas records show that Jabbar was previously charged with misdemeanor theft in 2002 and for driving with an invalid license in 2005, according to the New York Times.

During Wednesday’s press conference, authorities said they don’t believe that Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the attack and they, along with the FBI, are asking for the public’s help with any information.

The FBI also confirmed the presence of an apparent ISIS flag in the Ford pickup truck used in the attack and are “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” the news release said.

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The federal agency went on to note that “weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle” and that additional potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter. 

“The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these devices are viable, and they will work to render those devices safe,” authorities said in the release.

Citing multiple officials briefed on the investigation, CNN reported that Jabar made a number of video recordings before the attack in which he reportedly talked about ISIS and his divorce.

A digital tip line by the FBI has been set up at: www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or calls can be placed to 1-800-CALL-FBI.