At least 15 people died and over a dozen others sustained injuries after being hit by a speeding car in New Orleans just hours into the new year.
The attacker, who died in a police shootout, was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. But who was he?
According to reports, the 42-year-old was a resident of Texas, who served in the army as a human resource specialist and an IT specialist from 2007 to 2015. He was then in the army reserve until 2020.
Reports, quoting an army spokesperson, said Jabbar was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He held the rank of Staff Sergeant at the end of his service.
Earlier, the FBI had said it believed Jabbar was honorably discharged.
BREAKING: Suspect charged in the New Orleans terror attack is a U.S. Citizen born and raised in Texas and is a veteran who served in the military as a human resource specialist https://t.co/2TUuFBEve5 pic.twitter.com/f3EwUDX1mn
— HOT SPOT (@HotSpot__Media) January 1, 2025
The 42-year-old had converted to Islam when he was young and married twice.
“Jabbar had divorced twice, court documents show. His first wife sued him in 2012 over child support soon after he filed for divorce, and the court ordered him to pay amounts that increased over the years as his income grew. The case was dismissed in 2022,” the CNN reported.
“In 2020, a Texas judge granted Jabbar’s second wife a restraining order against him during their divorce case. The order mandated Jabbar to refrain from threats, physical harm, or other stipulated behavior against his ex-wife and either of their children. It required her to avoid the same behavior. In a court filing, Jabbar’s ex-wife stated the marriage had become ‘insupportable because of discord or a conflict of personalities’,” it added.
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The American news outlet said videos also showed that Jabbar had plans to kill his own family. “Jabbar, a Texas-born US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the recordings said. But Jabbar said in the videos that he changed his plans and joined ISIS and referenced several dreams that he had about why he should be joining the terrorist group, according to the officials,” the CNN report stated.
In an old video, which was posted on YouTube, Jabbar also spoke glowingly about his skills as a real estate agent. Records from the Texas Real Estate Commission showed Jabbar obtained a real estate license in in 2019. The license expired in 2023. Records also showed he took a range of real estate classes on various topics between 2018 and 2021.
As per The New York Times, the man had two previous charges for minor offenses. He was charged with theft in 2002 and for driving with an invalid license in 2005.
