The driver of the New Orleans terror assault acted alone and was '100 percent inspired by ISIS,' says to the FBI

The investigation into the truck assault on Bourbon Street in New Orleans resumed Thursday, when a driver slammed into a throng of New Year's Day revelers, killing at least 14 people and injured scores more. The FBI claimed Thursday that the attacker posted videos expressing his love for ISIS soon before the murderous assault.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old United States citizen from Texas, was identified as the truck driver who was shot and killed by police minutes after driving into the crowd. According to Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI's counter-terrorism section, as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, traveled from Texas to Louisiana on New Year's Eve, he shared his murderous plot and extremist ideology with his social media followers.

According to Raia, Jabbar stated in a series of Facebook videos broadcast just before the assault that he had intended to harm his family and friends, but changed his mind when he realized that news headlines would not focus on the "war between the believers and the disbelievers."

“This was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act,” Raia said, adding that Jabbar acted alone. "He was 100 percent inspired by ISIS."

He had previously served in the United States military, including an 11-month mission to Afghanistan, according to an army official. He was released in 2015 and has worked in real estate in recent years. His most recent address was in Houston.

The FBI initially reported that 15 individuals killed in the attack, excluding the driver. The New Orleans coroner's office updated the number on Thursday to include the attacker.

Jabbar had booked a Ford electric pickup vehicle through the peer-to-peer rental app Turo. Raia stated that Jabbar picked up the automobile in Houston on December 30, 2024, and traveled to New Orleans on December 31. Raia stated that the assailant had released five recordings while driving between the two locations. President Biden mentioned the recordings in broadcast remarks on Wednesday evening. According to Raia, the individual in the recordings declared his allegiance for ISIS and claimed to have joined the terrorist group prior to this summer. 

Raia said he uploaded five Facebook videos in the hours leading up to the assault, from around 1:30 a.m. to just after 3 a.m., in which he claimed to have joined ISIS earlier this summer. Jabbar, who was tragically shot by police, also left a will and testament, Raia stated.

Instead of targeting his family, Jabbar chose historic Bourbon Street, though Raia said officials are still unsure why. The renowned tourist neighborhood in the French Quarter, which is lined with bars and restaurants, was expected to be crowded on New Year's Eve.

Surveillance video shows Jabbar personally placing a cooler with an improvised explosive device on Bourbon Street and another roughly two blocks away, Raia stated. The bombs did not explode and were eventually deemed safe.

“We’re confident at this point that he had no accomplices,” he said.

According to Raia, the FBI discovered three smartphones and two computers related to Jabbar, and agents are attempting to establish the contents of the devices.

According to civil documents, Jabbar was married twice, the first ending in 2012 and the second in 2022.