From estate agent to assassin Who was the man who killed at least 15 people in New Orleans?

Details are emerging about the suspected New Orleans attacker: The ex-soldier in the US Army and real estate agent is said to have committed two minor offenses and had money problems before the attack.

Keystone-SDA

02.01.2025, 12:02

02.01.2025, 12:24

SDA

The suspected New Orleans attacker, identified by the FBI as 42-year-old US citizen Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was from Texas and apparently worked there as a real estate agent. He was formerly a soldier in the US Army, where he served for years as an IT specialist. In a video published on YouTube four years ago in which he offered his real estate services, Jabbar praised himself as a "tough negotiator".

Criminal records published by the "New York Times" show that he was charged twice with minor offenses: in 2002 for theft and in 2005 for driving without a valid license. According to the newspaper, Jabbar has been married twice, and his second marriage ended in divorce in 2022.

During the divorce proceedings, he described his financial problems to his wife's lawyer in an email. "I can't afford the house payments," he wrote, according to the NYT. His real estate company had made a loss of more than 28,000 dollars in the previous year. He also had thousands of dollars in credit card debt because of the legal fees.

Georgia State University confirmed to the AFP news agency that a man named Shamsud-Din Jabbar studied there from 2015 to 2017 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer systems.

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Statements in video on YouTube

In the YouTube video, which AFP was able to view but which was later deleted from the platform, Jabbar stated that he had served in the US military for a long time as an IT specialist. Through this experience, he had developed an understanding of good service and of paying attention to everything "to make sure everything runs smoothly", says the ex-army man with a southern accent in the video.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed in its press conference after the fatal car attack that Jabbar was a US soldier and was apparently honorably discharged. According to the Pentagon, he had worked in personnel management and as an IT specialist for the US Army from 2007 to 2015 and then served as a reservist until 2020. An army spokesman said Jabbar had served in Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and had the rank of sergeant at the end of his service.

At least 15 people were killed and numerous others injured in the attack allegedly carried out by the 42-year-old on New Year's Eve in New Orleans. The perpetrator drove his pick-up truck into a celebrating crowd in the French Quarter, a popular tourist district.

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Converted at a young age

Investigators found a flag of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) in his car. Referring to the investigators, US President Joe Biden said that a few hours before the attack in New Orleans, Jabbar had published videos on online networks indicating that he had been "inspired by IS".

A man named Abdur Jabbar from Beaumont, Texas, who claims to be the brother of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, told the New York Times that his brother was "really a sweetheart, a nice guy, a friend, really smart, caring". He had converted to Islam at a young age. However, the act he has now committed in New Orleans does not represent Islam, said Abdur Jabbar. "This is more a form of radicalization, not a religion."

Chris Pousson, a childhood friend of Jabbar's, told the NYT that he was a person who "didn't cause problems" and "had good grades". According to the report, the two had reconnected via online networks in 2017. Jabbar had "never been threatening, but you could see that he had become really intense about his faith", the newspaper quoted Pousson as saying.

Police: Perpetrator wanted to cause "bloodbath"

According to the police chief of New Orleans, Anne Kirkpatrick, Jabbar's goal was to "run over as many people as possible" and cause a "bloodbath". After his death drive, the attacker opened fire. He died in a gun battle with the police.

The police not only discovered weapons in his pick-up truck, but also suspected homemade explosive devices. Two explosive devices had also been planted in the French Quarter itself and were defused.