NEW ORLEANS — Following a tragic event on New Year’s Day in New Orleans, investigators have determined that the individual responsible for driving through a crowd acted alone. The driver, identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had posted multiple videos on social media expressing allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to the FBI’s recent statements. The incident, which claimed 14 lives, has been classified as an act of terrorism. Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, was killed during an engagement with police following the attack.
Inside the vehicle Jabbar was driving, investigators discovered firearms and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, which was emblazoned with the Islamic State flag. Additional explosive materials were found dispersed throughout the French Quarter. The chaos took place on Bourbon Street, a famous locale for New Year’s Eve festivities, just as crowds were gathering for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, an event that was subsequently postponed to Thursday afternoon.
Here is an overview of what transpired:
In the early hours of New Year’s, around 3:15 a.m., Jabbar accelerated past a police checkpoint, crashing into a throng of people celebrating on Bourbon Street. Alongside the fatalities, there were 35 injuries reported, including two policemen who were hurt during the exchange of gunfire.
About the driver, Jabbar was an Army veteran hailing from Texas, having enlisted in 2007. He served in human resources and information technology, and was deployed to Afghanistan in early 2009. He transitioned to the U.S. Army Reserve later and completed his service in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant. Court documents indicate that Jabbar was grappling with significant financial difficulties in 2022 while undergoing a divorce. He had reported being behind on mortgage payments and accruing substantial credit card debt, yet according to court documents, he was earning around $10,000 monthly in a role at Deloitte since being hired in 2021. The consulting firm stated they were fully cooperating with authorities in their investigation.
Regarding Jabbar’s motivations, in the hours preceding the attack, he uploaded five videos to his Facebook account where he hinting at the violence he was about to enact. He openly expressed his support for the Islamic State and claimed to have aligned with the terrorist group since the summer before. Surveillance footage indicated that Jabbar had placed potential explosive devices hidden within coolers in the French Quarter, initially leading investigators to suspect that other parties might have left the devices behind.
In response to the horrific actions of his brother, Abdur-Rahim Jabbar stated that it feels surreal to believe that his sibling could commit such an act. While he noted that Shamsud-Din had become more isolated in recent years, he maintained that he had communicated with him and saw no indications of radicalization.
As for connections to other incidents — specifically, the explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by Donald Trump — the FBI reported no links between the two events. In this separate incident, fireworks and fuel canisters were discovered in a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump International Hotel, killing a suspect inside the vehicle, who was identified as an active-duty U.S. Army soldier.
The victims of the New Orleans incident included a young woman aspiring to be a nurse, a former Princeton football player, and an audiovisual technician at the Superdome. The French Quarter was bustling with people celebrating the arrival of the new year and attending the college football playoff.
As of Thursday afternoon, Bourbon Street was reopened after investigators had completed their investigation and cleared the area. Jamal LeBlanc, a worker at the nearby Royal Sonesta hotel, noted that many guests chose to check out early, creating a somber atmosphere in the vicinity. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, but we are a resilient people, we bounce back,” he stated.
On the following day, significant security measures were implemented at the Sugar Bowl, with armored vehicles and specially trained officers deployed to screen fans arriving at the Superdome. The quarterfinal game between Notre Dame and Georgia was rescheduled to Thursday afternoon due to the recent tragedy. While some fans extended their plans to attend the game, others struggled with travel arrangements and regrettably missed the event entirely. “We’re disappointed to lose out and the money we spent, but it’s not the most important thing in the grand scheme,” remarked Lisa Borrelli, a Philadelphia resident who had come to cheer for Notre Dame alongside her fiancé.
