Suspect in deadly New Orleans truck attack served in US Army

NEW ORLEANS – The 42-year-old Texas man accused of

crashing a truck into New Year’s Day revellers in New Orleans

, killing and injuring dozens of people, was a US Army veteran who later worked in real estate, according to officials and public records.

Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans say that Shamsud-Din Jabbar did not act alone, and that they are looking for accomplices.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck, and it viewed the attack as a potential act of terrorism. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Sunni Muslim militant group which has carried out attacks throughout the world.

While the investigation is ongoing, no information has surfaced so far to explain why Jabbar, a US citizen raised in Texas, would carry out the New Orleans attack. He died at the scene in a shootout with police, officials said.

Jabbar was a veteran of the US Army, from which he appears to have been honourably discharged, FBI assistant special agent-in-charge Alethea Duncan told a briefing on Jan 1.

In addition to serving in the army, Jabbar enlisted in the navy in August 2004 under a delayed entry programme but was discharged a month later, a navy official told Reuters.

In a promotional video for his real estate business posted on YouTube in 2020, a man with the same name as the suspect said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resource and IT specialist, learning the importance of great service and taking everything seriously.

“I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to be a fierce negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.

In the video, the man introduced himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Properties, a Texas-based company whose licence expired in 2022. He was registered as a real estate sales agent for four years through February 2023, records show.

He said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas.

Reuters was unable to reach anyone at the number provided by him in the video. Attempts to contact Jabbar’s relatives were also unsuccessful.

The FBI believes the suspect rented the Ford pickup truck he used to ram into the crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the early hours of Jan 1. He then opened fire on police, injuring 35 in addition to the at least 10 people who have died.

The ISIS flag on the truck prompted an investigation into possible links to terrorist organisations. Investigators found weapons and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, as well as other potential explosive devices in the French Quarter.

“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates,” Mr Duncan said. REUTERS