A Houston resident and Army veteran has been identified as the driver behind a deadly New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans, which left 15 dead and dozens injured.
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Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Houston native and Army veteran, 42-year-old has been named by the FBI as the driver responsible for a lethal terror assault in New Orleans during New Year's celebrations. Early Wednesday morning, Jabbar rammed a rented pickup truck into a throng on Bourbon Street, killing fifteen people and wounding scores more.
The attack at 3:15 a.m. left the French Quarter in disarray. Witnesses characterized the situation as dreamlike and chaotic. "People just started bolting every which way," said attack observer Lance McCurley.
Following the attack, Jabbar, a twice-divorced father living in north Harris County, Texas, was slain in a gunfight with police enforcement personnel. During the event, he also fired and injured two police officials. The FBI claims that Jabbar produced a sequence of videos claiming loyalty to ISIS before the attack and that an ISIS flag was discovered in his car.
He rented the attack vehicle from Turo, a car-sharing program. To understand Jabbar's motivations further, investigators are looking at his internet trace and ties to ISIS.
The attack was less than a mile from the planned Sugar Bowl game, which led to public safety concerns postponing the event. Authorities keep guarding the area as investigations are under progress.
Houston and New Orleans communities are still hurting from this sad occurrence as questions regarding Jabbar's radicalization and potentially overlooked warning signals surface.
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