'He may have just went crazy': Family, friends open up about suspect in New Orleans attack

A day after 14 people were killed in an attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans, chilling details began to emerge about the man who plowed a pickup into revelers on Bourbon Street in what the FBI is calling "an act of terrorism."

Authorities say Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, rented a truck and rammed it into crowds celebrating New Year's in the bustling tourist district, killing at least 14 and injuring dozens more before he was shot dead in a gunfight with law enforcement. An Islamic State flag was recovered from the truck, which also carried weapons and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device.

The FBI said Jabbar, a U.S. citizen born in Texas, posted videos on social media shortly before the attack saying he was inspired by ISIS and decided to attempt the mass killing in New Orleans after initially planning to harm his family and friends. The U.S. Army veteran had grown increasingly withdrawn and devout in his Muslim faith, according to family and friends.

Jabbar was twice divorced, according to court records. In 2020, during his second divorce, a judge granted Jabbar's ex-wife a restraining order and Jabbar wrote about severe financial difficulties despite holding a $120,000-a-year job at Deloitte, records say.

Deputy Assistant FBI Director Christopher Raia on Thursday said investigators are focusing on Jabbar's "path to radicalization" and what led him to carry out the deadly attack on New Year's Day.

Here's what we know about Jabbar:

Live updates: Search intensifies for other suspects in New Orleans truck attack

Jabbar initially planned to harm family and friends, FBI says

Raia said Jabbar posted videos on Facebook as he headed to New Orleans in which he "proclaimed his support for ISIS."

Raia said there were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account before the attack. In the first video, Jabbar said he originally planned “to harm his family and friends” but was “concerned the news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers,’” Raia said.

Jabbar stated he had joined ISIS “before this summer” and also provided a will and testament, Raia said.

"Let me be very clear about this point: This was an act of terrorism,” Raia said. “It was premeditated and an evil act."

Raia added that the attack was "100% inspired by ISIS" and said investigators are digging through more of Jabbar's social media accounts and interviewing more of his relatives and friends.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar's neighbor says suspect was quiet, 'non-violent'

One of Jabbar's neighbors in northern Houston said he saw the Army veteran loading up a white pickup truck with "hand-held items" on the morning of New Year's Eve.It did not raise his suspicions because Jabbar was a quiet, calm and “non-violent” neighbor who moved into the predominantly Muslim neighborhood more than a year ago, the man, who asked not to be named for fear of jeopardizing his family's safety, told USA TODAY Network reporters.“He was quiet. Not (a) bother (to) anybody. Not touching anybody. I have a family, so I would have been afraid for that type of person to be here,” the neighbor said.

Jabbar had recently told him he planned on moving to Louisiana.

– John Oliva and Karoline Leonard

Member of suspect's family in shock over New Orleans attack

One of Jabbar's relatives, who did not wish to be identified citing safety concerns, told USA TODAY, “I don’t think he did this of his own free will.”

“I could never see him doing that,” said the family member. “Maybe he just went… If he did do he may have just went crazy. I just don’t see it happening.”

The family member said the Jabbar family is “doing all right,” but they are still in shock over the events in New Orleans.

– Phaedra Trethan

Friend, neighbor remember Jabbar: 'He was no terrorist to me'

Friends of Jabbar described the Army veteran as a kind man and said there were little signs that he would be capable of carrying out such a deadly attack.

Chris Pousson first met Jabbar at a middle school in Beaumont, Texas. The pair were friends through high school but lost contact when Jabbar enlisted in the Army and he joined the Air Force, Pousson told NBC News. He described Jabbar as "very quiet, very reserved, smart, articulate."

The two reconnected in 2017 and 2018, and Pousson kept up with his old friend on social media, he told the outlet. Jabbar's posts on social media grew increasingly focused on his faith. "It was always positive — peace be with you, uplifting type of stuff," Pousson told the outlet, adding: "What happened today was a complete 180 of anything I ever knew about him."

Marilyn Bradford, a woman who lived above Jabbar in an apartment complex in Houston, said he would help her carry her groceries and had seen him spending time with his children on the weekends. "He was no terrorist to me," she told the New York Times.

Family members, friends comment on Jabbar's faith

Dwayne Marsh, who is married to Jabbar's ex-wife, told the New York Times Jabbar had been acting increasingly erratic in recent months, causing Marsh and his wife to stop allowing the two daughters she shared with Jabbar to see him.

Marsh told the outlet Jabbar was “being all crazy, cutting his hair” after converting to Islam, the Times reported.

Jabbar's brother, Abdur Jabbar, told the New York Times he had last spoken with his brother two weeks ago and that he didn't mention New Orleans or any intention of carrying out an attack.

He said they were brought up Christian but Jabbar converted to Islam long ago. “As far as I know he was a Muslim for most of his life,” the younger Jabbar told the New York Times. “What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion.”

In Houston, a neighborhood takes stock

Jabbar's street as well as the surrounding area has a large Muslim and Middle Eastern presence. Houston itself has the largest Muslim population in Texas and in the Southern U.S.

Ramadan Khairallah, who is a manager at Ramadan Halal Meat Market a few miles from Jabbar's residence, told USA TODAY reporters he is not worried about backlash hurting the community.

"I'm not concerned to be honest with you," Khairallah said.

There have been anti-Muslim incidents in the area in the past, including at some nearby Halal stores and other businesses, he said. But it’s not something he worries about after the attack in New Orleans. "The people that are around us and stuff, there's nothing to be concerned about from them,” Khairallah said. “Nothing but positive energy in here."

Shamsud-Din Jabbar joined the Army, was deployed to Afghanistan

Jabbar enlisted in the Army in 2007, at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when more than 100,000 U.S. troops had deployed to war zones, according to the Army and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

His initial specialty was a human resource specialist, a job whose duties included payroll, mail delivery and processing medals. He became an information technology specialist, a common transition in the Army. As an IT solider, he would have been a trained as a computer-system troubleshooter.

Jabbar deployed to Afghanistan in Feb. 2009. Subsequently, he was posted at bases including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, and what was then Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

After his deployment, Jabbar joined the Army Reserve and continued serving as an IT specialist until July 2020. He left the Army as a staff sergeant, and received an honorable discharge, according to the official.

New Orleans attack suspect pleaded guilty to drunken driving at military base

Jabbar in 2015 pled guilty to a drunk driving charge after prosecutors say he was driving impaired inside one of the Army's largest military instillations, court records say.

According to a charging document, Jabbar was found in November 2014 driving over the legal limit and with an open container of alcohol within the Fort Liberty Military Reservation, formerly known as Fort Bragg.

Fort Liberty, just west of Fayetteville, North Carolina, has about 55,000 military service members and employs about 12,000 civilian personnel, according to an Army website.

He pleaded guilty to a Level 5 DWI charge in May 2015, records say. He was placed under probation, paid a $200 fine, surrendered his driver's license, had to complete 24 hours worth of community service and participate in an alcohol rehabilitation program, according to court records.

In 2005, he was charged with driving with an invalid license in Texas, records say. Three years earlier, he was charged with a property theft misdemeanor.

New Orleans attack suspect graduated from Georgia State University

Jabbar graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in computer information systems, according to the university.

He attended the 4-year university located in Atlanta from 2015 to 2017.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar had financial woes despite lucrative job at Deloitte

Court records in Texas show Jabbar, who has been married and divorced twice, had written of financial troubles during his legal ups and downs with wives. As he negotiated his second divorce two years ago, his attorney attached records to court files indicating Jabbar’s finances were limited.

“Time is of the essence. I cannot afford the house payment. It is past due in excess of $27,000 and in danger of foreclosure if we delay settling the divorce,” Jabbar wrote to his attorney in January 2022.

Jabbar proposed dividing the equity from the sale of the couple's home in Fresno, Texas. He also mentioned two real estate holding companies he formed that were worth $0, he wrote. He proposed $1,100 child support and mentioned his two children.

Later, a detailed summary of Jabbar’s finances listed a paystub from Deloitte, the global accounting firm. He listed a gross salary of $120,000 per year. He listed credit card, student loan and other debts in excess of $41,000.

Jabbar's second wife filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in 2020, records show.

Deloitte said in a statement that Jabbar filled a "staff-level role" and the company is "shocked" to learn he had "any association with our firm."

"Like everyone, we are outraged by this shameful and senseless act of violence and are doing all we can to assist authorities in their investigation.”

Shamsud-Din Jabbar worked in real estate

Jabbar held a real estate license that expired in February 2023, according to the Texas Real Estate Commission.

In a video posted on YouTube, which has since been deleted, a man with the same name as the suspect said his time in the military taught him the “meaning of great service” and “what it means to be responsive and take everything seriously.”

“I've taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to one be a fierce negotiator," he said.

The company mentioned in the video, Blue Meadow Properties, lost its real estate license in 2022 when it expired.

(This story was updated to add additional information.)

Contributing: Claire Thornton and Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Orleans attack: What we know about suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar