New Orleans faced a terror attack on New Year’s Day as a Texas raised U.S. Army veteran crashed his truck in the crowd celebrating new year.
The suspect for the terror attack was named as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old man who was known among his peers as a well-focused, professional man.
Jabbar planted two explosives devices in Bourbon Street before getting back in the truck, running into the crowd taking 14 lives before losing his own to a police bullet.
As per attacker's half-brother, Abdur Rahim Jabbar, he didn’t notice anything different with the veteran who was going through his 3rd divorce and showed no signs of anger before the eventual attack.
Authorities have shared that the 42-year-old had an Islamic State flag on the truck which he rampaged through the crowd.
He also posted several videos on social media regarding his alliance with the militant group shortly before the deadly attack in Bourbon Street on Wednesday morning.
While discussing his brother’s recent struggles in an interview with Reuters, Abdur Jabbar said, "He was maybe looking for some type of answers."
The brother described the suspect as charismatic, compassionate, funny and that he "wouldn’t hurt a fly", adding, "This degree of maliciousness is not like him. We are trying to understand what changed, too."
Jabbar was going through financial and family problems as his father had a stroke in 2023, whom he was responsible for.
Early Life:
Shamsud-Din Jabbar was raised in Beaumont, Texas where he attended Central High School. Throughout his life as student he was known for being polite and easygoing.
Career in U.S. Army:
Jabbar served in U.S. Army in HR and IT department from 2007 to 2015 after which he joined Army Reserve as IT specialist in 2020, where his rank was staff sergeant.
The 42-year-old was also deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.
One of Jabbar’s commander, Rich Groen shared that he was an admirable soldier who focused on his work and showed “discipline and dedication.”
On a social media post Groen wrote, “To think that the same individual who once embodied quiet professionalism could harbor so much hate, leading to such unspeakable atrocities, is incomprehensible and heartbreaking.”
Higher Education:
After leaving military, Jabbar attended Georgia State University and majored in computer information systems, graduating in 2017.
Marriages:
Jabbar had a long and bad history with women, his first divorce took place in 2012 and second in 2016 while currently he was in the middle of his third divorce.
Financial struggles:
Furthermore, graduation led him to real estate market. In 2020 he uploaded a promotional video on YouTube for his company Blue Meadows Properties, which according to the suspect’s emails lost $28,000 in 2021.
Jabbar’s monthly expenses were around $9,000, but according to his August 2022 filings, he only had $2,012 in his bank account.
On Thursday during a briefing of the incident, FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia revealed how the suspect initial plan was to hurt his family and friends but thought it would not highlight the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”
It is pertinent to note, Jabbar did not have any violent criminal record before this attack though he was sentenced to 12 months’ probation for driving under the influence in 2015.
