(Reuters) – Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texan accused of plowing a truck into New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing and injuring dozens, was a U.S. Army veteran who later worked in real estate, according to official and public records.
Federal officials and local police in New Orleans say Jabbar did not act alone and are looking for accomplices. The FBI said Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck and that it sees the attack as a potential act of terrorism. The Islamic State or ISIS is a Sunni Muslim militant group that has carried out attacks around the world.
While the investigation is ongoing, no information has yet emerged to explain why Jabbar, a US citizen who grew up in Texas, would have carried out the attack in New Orleans. Jabbar died at the scene in a shootout with police, officials said.
Jabbar was a veteran of the U.S. Army from which he appeared to have been honorably discharged, FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan said at a briefing Wednesday. In addition to serving in the Army, Jabbar enlisted in the Navy in August 2004 under the deferred entry program, 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 10 years in the military as an HR and IT specialist, learning the importance of excellent service and taking everything seriously.
“I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel that what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be a tough negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to call him.
In the video, the man identified himself as a manager at Texas-based Blue Meadow Properties LLC, whose license expired in 2022. He was registered as a real estate agent for four years until 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 Jabbar in the video. Attempts to contact Jabbar’s relatives were also unsuccessful.
The FBI believes Jabbar rented a Ford (NYSE: ) pickup truck and drove it into a crowd in New Orleans’ French Quarter early Wednesday. Jabbar then opened fire on the police, injuring 35 in addition to at least 10 people who died.
The ISIS flag on the truck prompted an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations. Investigators found a weapon and a potential explosive device in the vehicle, as well as other potential explosive devices in the French Quarter.
“We do not believe Jabbar was solely responsible. We are aggressively pursuing every lead, including those of his known associates,” Duncan said.
(Reporting by Nathan Layne in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)
