NEW ORLEANS — The FBI has released new details about how Shamsud-Din Jabbar was radicalized and planned his deadly assault on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day.
According to investigators, Jabbar became increasingly devout in his Muslim faith in 2022, according to materials obtained during the ongoing investigation. During this period, he began isolating himself, and by the spring of 2024, he had adopted extremist views.
An analysis of Jabbar’s online activity revealed troubling patterns. He researched how to access a balcony on Bourbon Street, sought information about Mardi Gras, and looked into details of multiple shootings in New Orleans, the FBI said. Just hours before the attack, Jabbar also searched for information about a deadly car attack that occurred at a Christmas market in Germany just 10 days earlier. Five people were killed and more than 200 were injured during that three-minute attack on December 20.
MORE: FBI’s Timeline on Jabbar leading up to New Orleans attack
The FBI also disclosed new information about Jabbar’s visits to New Orleans leading up to the attack. On November 10, he traveled by train from Houston to New Orleans and returned to Texas that same evening by bus. A newly released photo shows Jabbar walking through New Orleans with a backpack.
During his trip, Jabbar reportedly inquired about an apartment for rent on Orleans Street. Although he applied to rent the apartment shortly after his visit, he later told the landlord that he had changed his mind.
The attack on January 1 left 14 people dead and 57 physically injured when Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. In total, FBI Victim Services has identified 136 individuals affected by the tragedy.
“The FBI, along with our partners, continue to work around the clock to determine what motivated
Shamsud-Din Jabbar to drive his truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street,” the FBI said in a release. “Thanks to the overwhelming response from the public, the FBI is closer to getting answers for those families who lost loved ones and the other victims of the New Year’s Day attack.”
The FBI continues to seek the public’s assistance in gathering information about Jabbar. They have created a webpage where individuals can provide details regarding photos of Jabbar taken in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, as well as an image of one of the ice chest IEDs placed on Bourbon Street.
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