What we know about the New Year's Day attack 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 to Thursday afternoon.
Here’s what we know about the attack:
What happened on New Year's?
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 was the driver?
The FBI said Jabbar is an Army veteran from Texas. He enlisted 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.
Are there clues about his motive?
Five videos Jabbar posted on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack showed him previewing the violence that he would soon carry out, the FBI said Thursday. He also proclaimed his support for the Islamic State and said he joined the militant group before last summer, the FBI said.
Surveillance videos the FBI obtained showed 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.
How has the suspect's family reacted?
Abdur-Rahim Jabbar, Jabbar’s younger brother, told The Associated Press that it “doesn’t feel real” that his brother could have done this.
He said Thursday that his brother had been isolated in the last few years, but that he had also been in touch with him and he didn’t see any signs of radicalization.
Was this connected to the Las Vegas explosion outside a Trump hotel?
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 were the victims?
A young woman who dreamed of becoming a nurse, a former Princeton football player, and audiovisual technician at the Superdome were among those killed.
The French Quarter was filled with people toasting the start of 2025 and in the city for the college football playoff.
When did Bourbon Street reopen?
Bourbon Street reopened early Thursday afternoon, hours after authorities finished processing the scene and removing the last of the bodies earlier in the morning.
Jamal LeBlanc, 40, an employee at the Royal Sonesta hotel near the crash scene, said dozens of guests had checked out early and the atmosphere outside remained somber.
“I was feeling a lot of uncertainty and anxiety this morning,” LeBlanc said Thursday. “But we are a resilient people, we’re strong, we bounce back.”
How did security handle the Sugar Bowl?
A fleet of armored vehicles and officers with dogs trained to sniff for explosive devices screened football fans arriving at the Superdome a day later than scheduled for the Sugar Bowl.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Notre Dame and Georgia was pushed back to Thursday afternoon in the wake of the attack. While many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, some couldn't change their travel plans and were forced to miss the game.
“Of course we’re disappointed to miss it and to lose so much money on it, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” said Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident who came with her fiancé, a Notre Dame graduate.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the Sugar Bowl was moved to Thursday afternoon, not Thursday night.