A common chemical used in explosives, sulfuric acid, was discovered by the FBI in a Texas storage locker linked to Bourbon Street terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was identified as the perpetrator of the New Year’s attack in New Orleans.
The storage unit was rented by Jabbar and located about a mile from his Houston-area home in Harris County. During an overnight search by the FBI and Harris County Sheriff’s Office, bottles of sulfuric acid were found in a cooler in the unit.
Sulfuric acid is widely available and can be combined with other chemicals to make explosives. The discovery was made during a court-authorized law enforcement activity at the facility, and the FBI emphasized that there is no threat to the public. The FBI and local authorities have been investigating Jabbar’s activities following the New Year’s Day attack, which occurred when Jabbar drove a vehicle into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street and shot at law enforcement. The suspect was killed in the ensuing gunfire.