At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when a pickup truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, USA, an act the FBI is investigating as terrorism. The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native and Army veteran, was killed in a shootout with police and had declared allegiance to ISIS in videos recorded before the attack.
Highlights
- The FBI has been investigating the New Orleans truck attack as terrorism, with the suspect linked to ISIS.
- 15 people were left dead after a truck plowed into a New Year's crowd in New Orleans.
- Shamsud-Din Jabbar had an ISIS flag and recorded allegiance videos before at the attack.
- Public scrutiny has since intensified with conspiracy theories.
Public scrutiny has since intensified, with theories ranging from employee involvement to broader institutional failures fueling conspiracy theories.
Jabbar has been identified as the suspect who intentionally rammed a pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon Street early in the morning on New Year’s Day.
As the FBI investigates the attack as an “act of terrorism” and suggests the driver was not “solely responsible,” skepticism and speculation have surged across social media platforms.
At least 15 people were killed and dozens injured when a pickup truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd
Image credits: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images
Image credits: Michael DeMocker/Getty Images
Consequently, a Facebook user commented: “So did he and his accomplices have anything to do with the explosion at Trump Hotel in Las Vegas?”
Reports that both the New Orleans attack and a Tesla Cybertruck explosion near the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas occurred hours apart, with both vehicles reportedly rented through the same platform, Turo.
This timing and connection have prompted speculation about whether the incidents are linked.
“We are absolutely investigating any connectivity to what happened in New Orleans as well as other attacks that have been occurring around the world,” Kevin McMahill, the Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Sheriff, said.
The sheriff said that police were working to determine whether the explosion outside the hotel had any link to ISIS, but “we don’t have any indication of that here in Las Vegas.”
Nevertheless, the FBI said on Wednesday (January 1) that they believed the Cybertruck explosion was an isolated incident and there was no further danger to the public, CNN reported.
Image credits: CBS19
A person wrote: “He doesn't look or act like [a] Texas native. Too many questions not enough concrete answers.”
Someone else penned: “Yeah they already detonated a cybertruck at the Trump Las Vegas hotel.”
“He’s an army veteran & a US citizen,” a netizen countered. “This is a concerning matter if he had any links.”
An observer shared: “He was radicalized! No one should listen to people who support ISIS or any other terrorists from the Middle East. Be vigilant and ignore them!”
Jabbar reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS in videos recorded before the attack and expressed support for the group, which is recognized as a terrorist organization.
The pickup truck plowed through Bourbon Street in New Orleans, USA, an act the FBI is investigating as terrorism
Image credits: JGrantGlover
Moreover, the 42-year-old Army veteran, who was killed in a shootout with officers, had an ISIS flag in the vehicle at the time of the attack.
A commentator added: “Someone had to tell him where he could get through the barriers. It could not have been luck.
A separate individual chimed in: “More distractions brought to you all by care of the criminals in the CIA, FBI, etc.”
Image credits: CBS19
On January 1, 2025, during New Year’s celebrations, Jabbar allegedly deliberately drove a rented pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon Street killing 15 people and injuring dozens.
Former Princeton football player Tiger Bech, 27, was among at least 15 people killed in the New Orleans attack on Wednesday, his sister confirmed to CNN.
Bech was killed in the New Orleans attack while walking back to his hotel with a friend, Ryan Quigley, who was injured but is in stable condition.
The athlete was visiting for the holidays and had sent his family a cheerful New Year’s message just hours before the tragedy.
The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native and Army veteran, was killed in a shootout with police
Image credits: CBS19
His sister confirmed he suffered fatal internal injuries. Taking to his X page (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, Bech’s younger brother Jack wrote: “Love you always brother!
“You inspired me every day now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us.”
The attack in the French Quarter reportedly happened less than a mile from where The Sugar Bowl, an annual American college football bowl game, was to be hosted hours later.
Hours before the attack, Jabbar, who had pledged allegiance to ISIS in chilling videos, prepared improvised explosive devices at an Airbnb rented specifically for that purpose.
Image credits: FBI
The explosive devices associated with the attack were reportedly manufactured at the Airbnb that was rented out “for that purpose,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC.
Additionally, New Orleans City Council member Jean-Paul Morrell said the suspect was staying in an Airbnb before the attack.
Federal investigators reportedly believe that three men and one woman seen in the French Quarter in surveillance footage were not involved in placing improvised explosive devices in New Orleans.
Investigators are still trying to determine if other people may have been involved in the attack, CNN reported.
Jabbar had declared allegiance to ISIS in videos recorded before the attack
Image credits: IBZDRAGON
Law enforcement have reportedly been searching a Houston location they believe is connected to the New Orleans attacker.
The FBI also revealed it was “conducting a number of court-authorized search warrants in New Orleans and other states.”
In a series of videos before the attack, Jabbar discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials.
Additionally, the Beaumont, Texas native had reportedly made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them.
Image credits: WWLTV
Jabbar has reportedly divorced two of his ex-wives. A Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order against him in 2020 after his second wife asked for one during their divorce case, according to the American broadcaster.
In a 2020 YouTube video titled “Personal Introduction,” Jabbar pitched himself as a professional real estate agent based in Houston, Texas, CNN reported.
Moreover, the suspect had served in the US Army from 2007 to 2020, in both an active duty and reserve capacity.
He served as a human resources and information technology specialist on active duty between March 2007 and January 2015, deploying to Afghanistan once from February 2009 to January 2010, as per CNN.
Public scrutiny has since intensified
Image credits: Patt Little/Anadolu/Getty Images
Jabbar, who held jobs in real estate and IT, had been struggling with financial troubles, court documents show.
Global leaders have since expressed their condolences on social media, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote that “the shockingly violent attack in New Orleans is horrific,” adding that his thoughts were with “the people of the United States at this tragic time.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the news was “horrifying” and that his “heart is with the loved ones of the victims, those fighting to recover, and everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared that he was “horrified” and that “violence, terrorism, and any threats to human life have no place in our world and must not be tolerated.”
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed that New Orleans is “so dear to the hearts of the French” and “our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the injured, as well as with the American people, whose sorrow we share.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote: “People celebrating happily are torn from their lives or injured by senseless hatred.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said: “The tragedy in New Orleans is a shocking and intolerable act of violence.”
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared the kingdom’s “condemnation and denunciation” of the attack.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated: “All Australians are appalled by the attack in New Orleans, a shocking act of violence aimed at people celebrating the new year together.”
The incident continued to fuel conspiracy theories
