The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day that killed 14 people visited the city twice before and recorded video of the French Quarter with hands-free glasses, an FBI official said Sunday.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Houston, also traveled to Cairo, Egypt, as well as Ontario, Canada, before the attack, although it was not yet clear whether those trips were related to the attack, said Deputy Chief Christopher Raia. . at a press conference.
The attack early Wednesday was carried out by Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier. Police shot and killed Jabbar, 42, during a shootout at the scene of the deadly crash on Bourbon Street, world-famous for its party atmosphere in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter.
Thirteen remain hospitalized after attack
The coroner’s office listed the cause of death for all 14 victims as “blunt force injuries.” About 30 other people were injured. University Medical Center New Orleans spokeswoman Carolina Giepert said 13 people remained hospitalized and eight in intensive care.
President Joe Biden was scheduled to travel to New Orleans with first lady Jill Biden on Monday to “grieve with the families and community members affected by the tragic attack.”
Suspect proclaims support for Islamic State group
Jabbar proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group in videos posted online hours before he attacked. It was the deadliest IS-inspired attack on U.S. soil in years, exposing what federal officials have warned is a resurgent international terrorist threat.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” that the country faces “not only the persistent threat of foreign terrorism… over the past ten years, we have seen a significant increase in what we call local violent extremism”. .”
Jabbar booked the vehicle used in the attack more than six weeks earlier, on Nov. 14, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Jabbar suspected bomb-making materials were in his Houston home, which contained a workbench in the garage and hazardous materials believed to have been used to make explosive devices, officials familiar with a search there said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released photos of surveillance footage showing Shamsud-Din Jabbar an hour before driving a truck on Bourbon Street, New Orleans, early on January 1, 2025.
Authorities found crude bombs in the vicinity of the attack in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage. Two improvised explosive devices abandoned in refrigerators several blocks away were brought to safety at the scene. Other devices were determined to be non-functional. Jabbar bought a cooler in Vidor, Texas, hours before the attack and gun oil at a store in Sulfur, Louisiana, investigators said.
Investigators who searched Jabbar’s rental truck found a transmitter intended to activate the two bombs, the FBI said in a statement Friday, adding that there were bomb-making materials in the home he rented in New Orleans. Jabbar attempted to burn the house down by starting a small fire in a hallway with accelerants, but the flames were extinguished before firefighters arrived.
Jabbar emerged from the crashed truck wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet and fired at police, wounding at least two officers before police fatally shot him. New Orleans police have declined to say how many shots were fired by Jabbar and officers or whether any bystanders may have been hit, citing the active investigation.
Stella Cziment, who heads the city’s civilian-run Independent Police Monitor Office, said investigators are working to account for “every bullet that was fired” and whether any of them hit bystanders.
Security is planned to be beefed up before the Super Bowl
Police have used multiple vehicles and barricades to block traffic on Bourbon and Canal streets since the attack. Other law enforcement agencies assisted city officers in providing additional security, said New Orleans police spokeswoman Reese Harper.
The first parade of the pre-Mardi Gras Carnival season was scheduled for Monday. New Orleans will also host the Super Bowl on February 9.
In a previous effort to protect the French Quarter, the city installed steel columns known as bollards to restrict vehicle access to Bourbon Street. Stalls were retracted to allow deliveries to bars and restaurants. They stopped working reliably after becoming stuck with Mardi Gras beads, beer, and other debris.
When New Year’s Eve arrived, the bollards were gone. They will be replaced before the Super Bowl, officials said.
All victims identified
The attack killed an 18-year-old aspiring nurse, a single mother, a father of two and a former Princeton University football star, among others.
The New Orleans coroner’s office has identified the 14 victims, the youngest is 18 years old and the oldest is 63. Most of the victims were in their 20s. One of them was Edward Pettifer, 31, from west London, according to London Metropolitan Police.
British media reported that Pettifer was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was Prince William and Prince Harry’s nanny between 1993 and 1999, which included the time after the death of their mother, Princess Diana.
At Saturday’s vigil, family members identified LaTasha Polk, a mother and nursing assistant in her 40s, as the latest victim of the attack.
