NEW ORLEANS, LA — A pickup truck driver plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on January 1, leaving at least 15 dead in what the FBI has classified as a suspected act of terrorism.
Federal authorities have identified a Texas man as the suspect. 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar was a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who resided in north Houston, according to public records.
Officials say Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens more. After crashing the vehicle, he reportedly opened fire on police, wounding two officers before being fatally shot by law enforcement.
The FBI, treating the incident as a potential act of terrorism, reported finding an Islamic State flag, weapons, and a suspected improvised explosive device inside the rented Ford truck. Investigators are probing how Jabbar obtained the vehicle and whether he acted alone or had accomplices.
“This was a deliberate act,” New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick stated. She described the suspect’s actions as intentional, with the vehicle speeding down Bourbon Street “at a very fast pace,” appearing to target pedestrians.
The attack occurred hours before the city’s scheduled Sugar Bowl football game, which has since been postponed to Thursday as authorities continue their investigation.
In Texas, the FBI and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office established a perimeter Wednesday afternoon near a residential intersection in north Houston, as part of an ongoing investigation linked to the New Orleans attack earlier that day, according to the FBI’s Houston field office.
“This activity is related to this morning’s New Orleans attack, but due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no further information can be provided,” the FBI stated in a post on X.
Public records indicate that the intersection is near an address associated with Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect identified in the attack.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confirmed in a social media post that Jabbar had been living in the Houston area. He noted that Jabbar rented the truck used in the incident on Monday and was seen driving it in Houston before heading to New Orleans. Patrick added that his office is working closely with law enforcement and Houston Mayor John Whitmire to address the situation.
According to a U.S. Army spokesperson, Jabbar served in the military from March 2007 to January 2015, holding roles as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist. He continued his service in the Army Reserve as an IT specialist from January 2015 until July 2020.
Jabbar deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the time of his discharge, the spokesperson added.
