What we know about the vehicle attack on New Year’s Day in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Investigators now believe the driver who barreled through a crowd of New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans acted alone and found he posted several videos on social media pledging his support for the Islamic State group, the FBI said Thursday.
The FBI called Wednesday’s attack, which left 14 victims dead, an act of terrorism. The driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, also died in a shootout with police.
Investigators found guns and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device in the vehicle — which bore the flag of the Islamic State group — along with other explosive devices elsewhere in the French Quarter.
The attack unfolded on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. Large crowds had gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.
Here’s what we know about the attack:
What happened?
Police said Jabbar sped around a police blockade and raced through a crowd around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday along Bourbon Street, where people had gathered to celebrate the New Year. In addition to the dead, 35 people were injured. Two police officers were wounded in the shootout.
Who is the driver and what was his motive?
The FBI said Jabbar is an Army veteran from Texas.
He enlisted in the Army in 2007, working in both human resources and information technology. He deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009 for nearly a year, and later transferred into the U.S. Army Reserve, the service said in a statement. Jabbar left the military in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.
Court records show Jabbar faced a deteriorating financial situation in 2022 while separating from his then-wife. Jabbar said he was behind on house payments and had accumulated credit card debt and wanted to quickly finalize the divorce.
At the time, court documents show he made about $10,000 a month doing business development and other work for the consulting firm Deloitte. In a statement, Deloitte said Jabbar had “served in a staff-level role” since being hired in 2021 and that the company was doing all it could to assist authorities.
What have authorities found in their investigation?
The FBI obtained surveillance video of Jabbar placing potential explosive devices concealed in coolers in the French Quarter, the agency said Thursday. Initially, investigators believed that others had left behind the improvised explosive devices.
Five videos Jabbar posted on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack showed him saying he joined the militant Islamic State group before last summer, the FBI said.
Was there a connection to the explosion in Las Vegas?
The FBI said Thursday that so far they have found no connection between an explosion outside a Las Vegas hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump and the New Orleans attack.
Investigators found fireworks and camp fuel canisters in a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump International Hotel early Wednesday, killing a suspect inside the vehicle. The person who died was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
Who was in the French Quarter crowd?
Authorities said Bourbon Street was filled with people toasting the start of 2025 and in the city for the college football playoff game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame when the attack occurred.
Among the victims were an aspiring nurse, a former football player and a single mother. Officials have not yet released the names of the people killed.
What protections are there for pedestrians on Bourbon Street?
City documents show New Orleans has been in the midst of a major project to remove and replace post-like barriers called bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street. That project began in November and involves replacing old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards.
Have there been similar deadly attacks involving vehicles?
Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon to carry out mass violence. The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against. Last month, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.
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This story has been corrected to show that the Sugar Bowl was moved to Thursday afternoon, not Thursday night.
