(Reuters) – Shams al-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old Texas man accused of plowing a truck into New Year's revelers in New Orleans, killing and wounding dozens, was a U.S. Army veteran who later worked in real estate. According to officials and public records.
Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans say Jabbar did not act alone and that they are looking for accomplices. The FBI said Jabbar had an Islamic State flag on his truck and considered the attack a possible act of terrorism. The Islamic State, or ISIS, is a Sunni militant group that has carried out attacks around the world.
While the investigation is still ongoing, no information has yet emerged explaining why Jabbar, an American citizen who grew up in Texas, carried out the New Orleans attack. Officials said Jabbar died at the scene during a shootout with police.
Jabbar was a U.S. Army veteran who appears to have been honorably discharged, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said at a news conference on Wednesday. A Navy official told Reuters that in addition to his service in the army, Jabbar joined the Navy in August 2004 under a deferred entry program but was discharged a month later.
In a promotional video for his real estate company posted to YouTube in 2020, a man with the same name as the suspect said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist, and learned the importance of great service and taking everything hard.
“I have taken these skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to be an aggressive negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients. To call him.
In the video, the man introduces himself as a principal at Blue Meadow Properties LLC, a Texas-based company whose license expired in 2022. He was registered as a real estate sales agent for four years through February 2023, records show.
He said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas.
Reuters was unable to contact anyone at the number mentioned by Jabbar in the video. Attempts to contact Jabbar's relatives also failed.
The FBI believes Jabbar rented a Ford (NYSE:) pickup truck that he used to plow into a crowd in New Orleans' French Quarter in the early hours of Wednesday. Djebar then opened fire on the police, wounding 35 people and at least 10 people dying.
The ISIS flag on the truck prompted an investigation into possible links to terrorist organizations. Investigators found weapons and a possible explosive device in the vehicle, as well as other possible explosive devices in the French Quarter.
“We do not believe Jabbar is solely responsible,” Duncan said. “We are aggressively pursuing every lead, including his known associates.”
(Reporting by Nathan Lane in West Palm Beach, Florida; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)
