A 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, killed 14 people and injured dozens by ramming a rented truck into New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The FBI confirmed the act as terrorism inspired by ISIS, with Jabbar killed in a police shootout.
The Texas native, once deployed in Afghanistan, had financial struggles, a recent divorce, and had renewed his Muslim faith, later adopting extremist views. Surveillance footage showed him planting explosive devices, which were neutralized. Jabbar posted Facebook videos pledging allegiance to ISIS hours before the attack.
His half-brother expressed shock, describing Jabbar as compassionate and struggling emotionally but showing no signs of violence. The family remains baffled by his transformation.
Law enforcement promised heightened security at public events, including Mardi Gras and the Sugar Bowl, following another incident on New Year’s Day—a Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, with no links yet established.
Jabbar’s recordings condemned music, drugs, and alcohol as un-Islamic. His family cited his father’s stroke, divorce, and financial issues as possible stressors. The FBI is investigating his radicalization path. Bourbon Street reopened under increased security as New Orleans prepares for upcoming celebrations.
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