The FBI continues to investigate the alleged perpetrator of the attack in New Orleans that left at least 14 dead, Shamsud-Din Jabbar. While it is certain that the man had pledged allegiance to the Islamist state, the FBI did not find an active connection with the organization.
The essentials
- A car-ramming attack, considered a terrorist act, left at least 14 dead and 35 injured on Wednesday January 1, 2025 in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States.
- The alleged perpetrator – shot dead in the shooting by police – was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. He is an “American national” born in Texas and a 42-year-old ex-army soldier.
- The suspect had pledged allegiance to Daesh (Islamic State) during the summer of 2024 according to the FBI and a Daesh flag was found in the vehicle used for the attack. Shamsud-Din Jabbar discussed his relationship with Daesh in several videos published on the networks between December 30 and 31 before the attack, but the FBI still does not know how the man became radicalized.
- The man had initially planned another plan targeting his family, which he abandoned in favor of the attack in New Orleans so that his “war between the faithful and the infidels” would be well understood, the FBI said.
- The alleged perpetrator of the attack in New Orleans ultimately acted alone according to the latest information from the FBI. “We do not believe at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Jabbar,” said Christopher Raia, deputy director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division, January 2.
- The attack in New Orleans also does not present an “irrefutable” link with the explosion of a Tesla in Las Vegas which occurred a few hours later. Authorities continue to investigate and have discovered that the two deceased alleged perpetrators have similarities.
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08:16 – Similarities but no connection between the attack in New Orleans and the explosion in Las Vegas
Last night the FBI indicated that no “irrefutable” link has yet been established between the attack in New Orleans and the explosion of a Tesla in Las Vegas, specifying that the investigation was continuing and that no leads was not ruled out. The fact remains that the alleged perpetrator of the attack in Louisiana and the man found dead behind the wheel of the Tesla have several points in common: they both served in the American army, notably on a military base in North Carolina. “We don’t know if they served together or in the same years, we are investigating that. We know they both served in Afghanistan but we don’t know if they were in the same province or in the same unit,” added the Las Vegas sheriff last night at a press conference.
07:54 – The attacker’s initial plan before the attack in New Orleans
The attack in New Orleans led by Shamsud-Din Jabbar was well premeditated according to the FBI. But the suspect had initially planned another plan mentioned in the five videos he published between December 30 and 31 before his act. The man explained that he “initially planned to attack his family and friends, but was worried that the newspaper headlines would not focus on ‘the war between the faithful and the infidels'”. said Christopher Raia, a senior FBI official, during a press conference on January 2. The man finally decided to attack a crowd of onlookers during the New Year celebrations.
07:49 – How was the suspect in the attack in New Orleans radicalized?
The alleged perpetrator of the attack in New Orleans presents an unusual profile: a veteran of the American army decorated for fighting against terrorism who was radicalized to the point of joining Deash in the summer of 2024 according to information from FBI. If the American authorities have established a link between the man and the Islamic State organization, they acknowledge that they do not yet have details on how the suspect got closer to the terrorist group. The five videos published by Shamsud-Din Jabbar between December 30 and 31 on social networks do not allow us to learn more on this subject.
What you need to know
In the United States, a vehicle drove into the crowd in New Orleans on the morning of Wednesday January 1, on the edge of the French Quarter of the American city, reports franceinfo. The accident left at least 15 dead and 30 injured who were distributed to different hospitals in the region, according to a latest report. “Everyone started yelling and screaming and running towards the back, then we were locked up for a little while and it calmed down, but they wouldn’t let us leave,” testified one woman who found in a nightclub on the street. In a press release, the city’s emergency authority indicated that the accident involved “a large number of victims”, while a vehicle “ran into the crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street”, said RTL . In this area made up of many bars, the number of law enforcement officers had been increased, with the authorities preparing for a large crowd in the streets.
Another man testified that he heard “gunshots.” According to the American media CBS News, several witnesses said they saw a truck rushing “at high speed” into the crowd. They said the driver jumped out of his vehicle and then began firing a gun, prompting a police response. Among the injured are two police officers who are in “stable condition”. For his part, the suspect in the attack was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an “American national from Texas” and ex-army soldier, said the federal police. Anne Kirkpatrick, local police chief, described him as a “terrorist”. In the columns of the New York Times, his brother confided that he had converted to Islam with “a form of radicalization”. A flag of the terrorist group was found in the vehicle used in the attack.
FBI opens investigation for ‘terrorist act’
The city’s mayor, LaTonya Cantrell, said the city of New Orleans was hit by “a terrorist attack,” BFM TV reported. Explosives were found in the man’s vehicle. “We are trying to confirm whether or not this is an active and functioning device,” Alethea Duncan of the FBI explained during a press briefing. Authorities added that the man was determined to “wreak carnage.” “The suspect fired at our officers after the vehicle was in an accident,” explained New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. The FBI said it had opened an investigation for a “terrorist act”. New Orleans police have confirmed the death of the suspect in the attack. During the exchange of gunfire, the man was “hit and he was pronounced dead on the spot,” police wrote.