Reports claimed the suspect was identified as 42-year-old Samsud Din Jabbar
New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans turned to tragedy when a truck plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter. The assailant, Shamsud Din Jabbar, a US Army veteran and ISIS recruit, carried out the deadly attack, killing 14 people and injuring around 30 others.
The timeline below outlines the events leading up to and following the New Year’s Day vehicle attack, which ended with police fatally shooting Jabbar, at the scene.
- Between June 22 and July 3, 2023, Jabbar travelled to Cairo before returning to the United States.
- Shortly after, from July 10-13, 2023, he visited Ontario, Canada, before coming back to the U.S.
- In autumn 2024, Jabbar began visiting New Orleans.
- On October 30, he first arrived in the city. The following day, October 31, the FBI reported he used Meta smart glasses to record himself cycling through the French Quarter whilst planning the attack.
- He returned to New Orleans on November 10.
- On November 19, Jabbar acquired a semiautomatic rifle through a legitimate private transaction in Arlington, Texas. The seller was unaware of Jabbar’s plans.
- On December 31, he visited a Texas gun shop and bought an ice chest intended for an improvised explosive device.
- The final day of 2024 saw Jabbar enter Louisiana at 2.30 pm.
- By 9 pm, his rented F-150 pickup was spotted in Gonzales, Louisiana, approximately 65 miles from New Orleans’ French Quarter.
- In the early hours of January 1, events unfolded rapidly. At 12.41 am, Jabbar parked and walked to Royal and Governor Nichols Street. At 1.53 am, he placed the first IED at Bourbon and St. Peter streets, though someone uninvolved later moved it to Orleans Street. By 2.20 am, he positioned a second IED at Bourbon and Toulouse streets.
- The attack occurred at 3.15 am, when Jabbar drove onto the pavement around a police blockade at Canal Street’s entrance to Bourbon Street, striking numerous New Year’s celebrants.
- After he shot at officers and crowds, police fatally shot him.
- At 5.18 am, firefighters responded to a rental property on Mandeville Street where Jabbar had attempted to destroy evidence.
- Despite placing accelerants throughout, the fire extinguished itself. Investigators discovered bomb-making materials and what appeared to be a homemade rifle silencer.
- Bourbon Street reopened on January 2 at 1 pm. Later on January 4, residents gathered for a memorial service.
