BEAUMONT, Texas — Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former Army veteran and real estate agent, has been identified as the suspect in a deadly attack on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, which killed 14 people and injuring several others.
Jabbar, 42, was born in Beaumont, Texas, and attended Central High School, where he was known as a good student with a quiet disposition. He went on to become a model soldier in the Army, serving from 2007 to 2015, including a tour in Afghanistan, where he impressed his commander with his discipline and dedication.
However, over the past few years, Jabbar’s life began to deteriorate. He faced severe financial problems and a third divorce, and at some point, he fell under the sway of the Islamic State (ISIS), the terrorist group.
On New Year’s Eve, Jabbar drove a rented truck to New Orleans, posting videos online in which he professed his support for ISIS. He then planted two improvised explosive devices and plowed into revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people before police shot and killed him in a gunbattle.
Jabbar’s half-brother, Abdur-Rahim Jabbar IV, described his brother as a kind and unassuming person who was a good student and a devoted father and son. “It’s a complete surprise, a shock, to everyone,” he said in an interview.
The attack has left friends and family stunned and confused, as Jabbar’s transformation from a quiet and polite individual to a terrorist sympathizer.
Investigations are ongoing to identify Jabbar’s path to radicalization, but so far, officials have little insight into his transformation. “A lot of questions we’re still asking ourselves,” said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “What I can tell you right now is that he was 100% inspired by ISIS. We’re digging through more of the social media, more interviews, working with some of our other partners to ascertain a little bit more about that connection.”
Jabbar’s friends and family are struggling to make sense of his actions, which are described as a complete surprise. His half-brother recalled that Jabbar never discussed radical ideologies or ISIS, and that he was focused on his faith and his family. “He was trying to find himself,” he said.
As authorities continue to investigate, one neighbor recalled seeing Jabbar loading a truck outside his home on the morning of New Year’s Eve, saying he was moving to Louisiana for a job. Little did anyone know that he had already begun his deadly attack.
