Surprising information about the suspect in the car crash and shooting in the US on New Year’s Eve

On January 1 (local time), investigators identified the suspect in the horrific car crash and shooting that left at least 45 people dead and injured in New Orleans, USA, and discovered many explosive devices and the flag of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Suspect carrying IS flag, used to be in US military

According to Fox News, the suspect accused of driving into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has been identified as a man named Shamsud Din Jabbar (42 years old), residing in Houston, Texas (USA) and born in Beaumont (Texas), holding American citizenship.

The suspect exchanged gunfire with police, seriously wounding at least two officers before being shot dead by an officer.

The terrifying moment after a car attack left many people dead in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve, January 1. (Video: CNN)

At least 15 people have been killed so far.  According to law enforcement, the pickup truck used in the attack  was flying a flag believed to belong to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).

Authorities also recovered a Glock pistol and a rifle equipped with a sensor optic, and discovered multiple explosive devices in a cooler in the pickup truck used in the crash.

The vehicle used in the attack was not owned by the suspect but was rented. The pickup truck had a Texas license plate and had crossed the border into the United States through the Eagle Pass (Texas) border gate on November 16, 2024. The driver at the time of the border crossing was not a suspect in the incident.

The latest information also shows that the subject served in the US military from 2007 to 2020, in charge of information technology and human resources management, and was once deployed to Afghanistan.

Before officially joining the Army, Jabbar also served 1 month in the US Navy in 2004.

Jabbar was discharged from the army with the rank of Sergeant and then went into real estate.

There will be more suspects involved.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is leading the investigation, said authorities are currently looking into the incident as a suspected act of terrorism. 

Investigators are currently investigating whether the suspect and the attack are related to any other individuals or organizations, as well as clarifying the suspect’s political and religious views.

Portrait of suspect Shamsud Din Jabbar, who drove his car into a crowd on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans. (Photo: Fox News)

The FBI also warned that Din Jabbar was not the only person responsible for the attack , and that there was a high possibility that other people were involved.

Authorities discovered a series of videos that the subject recorded while driving, talking about joining the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). In them, the subject mentioned some dreams and stated the reason why he had to join IS.

The subject also talked about the divorce and his original intention of meeting  his family and then killing them all.

Court documents indicate that the subject has struggled with financial difficulties in recent years. In an email to the court in January 2022 when they divorced, Jabbar said he could not afford to pay his house rent, with overdue debt of more than $27,000 (about 675 million VND).

Jabbar also said that the business he founded lost about $28,000 (about 700 million VND) in 2021 and had about $16,000 (about 400 million VND) in credit card debt.

So far, police chief Anne Kirkpatrick has confirmed that it is highly likely that this was a deliberate act.

The police also said that the incident was not due to the driver’s impaired driving ability due to a number of reasons such as being drunk or not alert, but according to the information and evidence collected by the police, the real story is much more complicated and serious.

Some photos of the crime scene:

According to Fox News, the suspect accused of driving into a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has been identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar (42 years old), a resident of Houston, Texas (USA), and an American citizen. (Photo: AP)

According to law enforcement, when the suspect committed the crash, the pickup truck was flying a flag believed to belong to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). (Photo: AP)

Authorities also recovered a Glock pistol and a rifle equipped with a sensor optic, and discovered multiple explosive devices in a cooler in the pickup truck used in the crash. (Photo: AP)

The vehicle used in the attack was not owned by the suspect but was rented (Photo: AP)

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is leading the investigation, said authorities are currently treating the incident as an act of terrorism (Photo: AP)

New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick confirmed that the incident was not caused by the driver being impaired due to a number of reasons such as being drunk or not being alert.