The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released surveillance footage showing Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the perpetrator of the deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) disguised as coolers throughout the French Quarter.
Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Houston, carried out the attack using a rented Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle, which he drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack resulted in 14 fatalities and 35 injuries.
Before the vehicular assault, Jabbar strategically placed two homemade bombs along Bourbon Street with the intention of detonating them remotely. However, according to investigators, the devices malfunctioned and failed to explode.
In surveillance footage shared by the FBI, Jabbar is seen wearing Meta-branded smart glasses and a brown coat as he deposits the coolers containing the bombs at separate locations.
🚨🇺🇸 FBI RELEASES VIDEO OF NOLA BOMBER IN ACTION
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 5, 2025
The FBI has released footage of the suspect, Jabbar, wearing Meta glasses while planting IED-filled coolers throughout New Orleans' French Quarter.
The big question: Why was he documenting the act?
Was it for personal… pic.twitter.com/hF6DXcZ4Pi
Authorities revealed that Jabbar visited New Orleans twice in recent months, recording videos of the French Quarter during these trips.
Using his Meta smart glasses, he conducted reconnaissance, even joining a bicycle tour of the area in October, suggesting that these visits were part of his meticulous planning for the attack.
Investigators are now examining Jabbar’s trips to Cairo, Egypt, and Ontario, Canada, in mid-2023 to determine whether these visits played a role in his radicalization or in planning the attack.
Jabbar had reportedly spoken of violent intentions towards his own family in videos uncovered during the investigation. In these recordings, he described plans to gather his family under the pretense of a celebration and then kill them.
However, he ultimately decided against this course of action, fearing it would detract from his broader goal of waging what he called a “war between believers and disbelievers.”
Jabbar had previously expressed dreams that he interpreted as directives to join ISIS. According to family members interviewed by the New York Times, Jabbar converted to Islam prior to exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior.
His ex-wife’s husband, Dwayne Marsh, noted Jabbar’s bizarre actions, including drastic haircuts and unpredictable conduct, which led the family to limit his contact with his daughters.
About a year ago, Jabbar moved to a predominantly Muslim neighborhood north of Houston.
The FBI believes Jabbar acted alone in the New Orleans attack. While some similarities have been noted, investigators have found no concrete evidence linking this incident to the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on the same day.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to visit New Orleans in the aftermath of the tragedy. They plan to meet with the victims’ families and the first responders who courageously managed the crisis.