FBI Uncovers New Information on New Orleans Terrorist Attack Suspect, Indicates Overseas Travel

The FBI provided additional insights on January 5 regarding the individual behind the New Year’s Day terrorist assault in New Orleans, which resulted in 14 fatalities, revealing that the suspect had journeyed to Egypt in 2023.

According to a press conference held by the FBI, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was in Cairo, the nation’s capital, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, after which he traveled to Canada and returned to the United States a few days later.

He made at least two trips to New Orleans in October and November 2024, during which he recorded a video on Bourbon Street—site of the attack—using smart glasses from Meta Platforms, officials reported. Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia stated during the conference that the connection between these trips and the attack, whether domestic or overseas, remains unclear.

In the early hours of January 1, Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier from Houston, drove a pickup truck into a gathering of New Year’s celebrants on Bourbon Street in New Orleans’s historic French Quarter. Officers fatally shot Jabbar in the confrontation that ensued at the scene of the tragic incident.

“Meta glasses may resemble ordinary eyewear, but they enable users to record videos and take photos hands-free,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil on January 5. “They also allow for potential livestreaming through their video capabilities.”

While Jabbar wore the glasses during his attack on New Year’s Day, they were not operational for livestreaming, as stated by Myrthil. There was no evidence suggesting he recorded the incident, although the glasses were recovered from Jabbar.

Footage captured Jabbar placing an improvised explosive device in a cooler on Bourbon Street prior to the attack, where he utilized a rented truck. The cooler was subsequently relocated by unidentified individuals, as reported by the FBI.

“Based on our current observations and the information collected through our investigation, it seems there were unsuspecting individuals who shifted the cooler from one place to another without any awareness of its contents,” Myrthil explained on January 5, noting that Jabbar had set another explosive device in a cooler approximately 30 minutes later.

Federal investigators continue to assert that Jabbar acted alone, as stated by authorities on January 5.

“All investigative evidence we possess currently corroborates that Jabbar operated independently here in New Orleans,” Raia remarked. “There have been no signs of an accomplice within the United States, though we are still examining potential associates both domestically and internationally.”

Jabbar reportedly pledged allegiance to the ISIS terrorist organization, which gained control of parts of Syria and Iraq around ten years ago before being largely expelled by U.S. forces. An ISIS flag was found attached to the hitch of the truck utilized by Jabbar, officials revealed.

President Joe Biden confirmed his plans to visit New Orleans with First Lady Jill Biden on January 6 to “join the families and community members affected by the tragic attack in mourning,” as stated in a release from the White House.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.