SHAMSUD-DIN JABBAR, ACCUSED OF NEW YEAR’S DAY TRAGEDY IN NEW ORLEANS, SERVED 13 YEARS IN THE U.S. ARMY, INCLUDING DEPLOYMENT TO AFGHANISTAN
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man accused of plowing a truck into New Year’s Day revelers in New Orleans, killing 15 people and injuring dozens, served for 13 years in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan. Jabbar, who held the rank of staff sergeant, served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from 2007 until 2015, and later joined the Army Reserve as an IT specialist until 2020. Prior to his service in the Army, Jabbar briefly enlisted in the Navy in August 2004, but was discharged a month later.
Corporate records show Jabbar was involved in a series of businesses in recent years, including a real estate business in Texas. He was registered as a real estate sales agent from 2019 to 2023 and operated a company whose license expired in 2022.
Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans believe Jabbar did not act alone, and are actively searching for accomplices. The FBI has categorized the attack as a potential act of terrorism due to the discovery of an Islamic State flag in the truck used in the attack. Jabbar died at the scene in a shootout with police.
Court records show Jabbar was divorced in 2022, separating from his wife of five years. The couple had one child, and Jabbar does not appear to have a violent criminal record prior to the attack. Jabbar was previously charged with a misdemeanor in 2002 for property theft and arrested in 2005 for driving with an invalid license.
The FBI has recovered weapons and potential explosive devices from the vehicle used in the attack, and is investigating links to terrorist organizations. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.