The attacker’s movements from New Orleans included a trip to Ontario in July 2023, the FBI says
FBI officials said Sunday that their investigation into the deadly truck attack in New Orleans now “crosses national and international lines,” and that the gunman had traveled to Egypt and Canada.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Houston, traveled to Egypt and Canada before the New Year’s attack, although it is not yet clear whether those trips were connected to the attack, said Christopher Raia, the agency’s deputy assistant director. press conference.
Jabbar traveled to Cairo from June 22 to July 3, 2023. A few days later, he flew to Ontario on July 10 and returned to the US on July 13.
“Our agents are getting answers to where he went, who he went with and how those trips may or may not relate to his actions here,” said Lyonel Myrthil, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office.
Authorities say Jabbar also traveled to New Orleans ahead of the October attack. Myrthil said the video shows him riding around the French Quarter on a bike with Meta smart glasses that can record or stream live.
At a news conference Sunday in New Orleans, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry paid tribute to each of the 14 people killed in the New Year’s Eve truck attack and declared a period of mourning that will begin Monday. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 63 and came from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Britain.
Investigators previously said Jabbar, a 42-year-old former US Army soldier, expressed his support for the Islamist militant group ISIS in videos posted online hours before he carried out the attack on Bourbon Street early last Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding dozens. Jabbar was fatally shot by police during a shootout at the scene.
Thirteen people remain in hospital after the attack.
Raia reiterated Sunday that the FBI believes Jabbar acted alone.
“All the details of the investigation and the evidence that we have now still confirm that Jabbar acted alone here in New Orleans,” Raia said. “We have seen no indication of accomplices in the United States, but we are still investigating potential associates in the US and beyond our borders.”
New Orleans remembers the victims of a deadly New Year’s truck attack as the FBI shifts its investigation to Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s home state of Texas, where officials say he developed his pro-ISIS beliefs.
The RCMP did not respond to CBC News’ previous requests for comment on Jabbar’s movements in Canada and whether police are cooperating with the FBI in the investigation.
US President Joe Biden planned to travel to New Orleans on Monday with his wife, Jill Biden, to “grieve with the families and community members affected by the tragic attack.”
The youngest victim was 18 years old, and the oldest was 63 years old. Most of the victims were in their 20s. They came from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Britain.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the innocent lives lost will never be forgotten as he declared a period of mourning for the victims that is set to begin Monday. Another victim should be remembered every day.
“However, Louisiana and its people will never cower in fear,” he said.
“Instead, we will unite and come back stronger in honor of every person who lost their life that day.”
