FBI says New Orleans truck attacker visited the city twice before deadly rampage

An FBI official said Sunday that the man responsible for the New Orleans truck attack visited the city twice before the deadly rampage that horrified the nation on New Year's Day.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran and U.S.-born citizen from Texas, is believed to have acted alone in what the FBI has called a premeditated "act of terrorism." Federal officials have said Jabbar was inspired by the Islamic State militant group, known as ISIS, to carry out the assault that occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on New Year's Day.

Authorities said he was killed in a shootout with police after he plowed his pick-up truck into crowds of revelers on Bourbon Street in the city's historic French Quarter. On Sunday, the FBI said its investigation has crossed state and international borders with agents following leads in several states and other countries.

The agency is investigating Jabbar's visits to Egypt, Canada, Florida, and Georgia, and whether those trips are connected to the deadly attack.

"We have also tracked that Jabbar traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 until July 3 of 2023," said Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, during Sunday's news conference. "A few days later he flew to Ontario, Canada, on July 10 and returned to the U.S. on July 13 of 2023."

"Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions in our city in New Orleans," he added.

Myrthil also said Jabbar made at least two trips to New Orleans in the months prior to the attack, one in October and the other in November. In addition to his trips to Egypt, Canada, and New Orleans, Myrthil said Jabbar traveled to areas within Atlanta, and Tampa, Florida.

Federal authorities are also looking into the suspect's activity in Houston where he resided at the time of the attack.

A total of 14 victims were killed in the attack and more than 30 others were injured. The New Orleans coroner's office has identified all 14 deceased victims, among whom the youngest was aged 18 and the oldest was 63. Most of those victims were in their 20s.

Authorities have said the death toll could have been higher after law enforcement recovered two explosive devices hidden in coolers near the scene — one at the cross-section of Bourbon and Orleans streets and another at an intersection about two blocks away. The explosive devices did not detonate.

To revel or not to revel: In wake of terror attack, the music is back on in New Orleans

FBI provides timeline prior to deadly attack

Further investigation revealed that Jabbar stayed at a rental home in New Orleans beginning Oct. 30, 2024, according to Myrthil. He remained in the city for at least two days during that visit.

He visited the city a second time on Nov. 10, but authorities are "still piecing together details of that trip," Myrthil added.

Jabbar was then seen on Dec. 31 at one of multiple gun stores he visited in Texas leading up to the attack, according to Myrthil. He later stopped at another Texas business and purchased one of the coolers used to hide an explosive device.

Myrthil said authorities have estimated that Jabbar crossed into Louisiana on Dec. 31 at around 2:30 p.m. local time. His rental vehicle, a white pick-up truck, was spotted hours later in Gonzales, Louisiana, about 60 miles northwest of New Orleans' French Quarter, at around 9 p.m.

By 10 p.m., home surveillance footage showed Jabbar unloading the truck outside a rental home in New Orleans, according to Myrthil. Less than three hours later on New Year's morning, Jabbar parked the truck near the scene and walked to Royal and Governor Nicholls streets.

About an hour after, Jabbar placed the first explosive device in a cooler at Bourbon and St. Peter streets, Myrthil said. "Someone on Bourbon Street, who we have no reason to believe was involved, dragged the cooler a block to Bourbon and Orleans, where our teams found it after the attack," Myrthil added.

Jabbar then placed the second explosive device in another cooler at 2:20 a.m. on Bourbon and Toulouse streets, according to Myrthil. At about 3:15 a.m. Jabbar used his truck as a "lethal weapon" before crashing into construction equipment and was stopped by New Orleans Police Department officers, Myrthil said.

ATF special agent: Suspect started fire at rental home to 'hide evidence'

A fire was also reported at Jabbar's rental home at around 5 a.m., where the New Orleans Fire Department discovered explosive devices after entering the home, according to Myrthil.

Joshua Jackson, ATF special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, said the agency concluded that Jabbar had been alone at the residence the entire time and started the fire before heading to Bourbon Street. Jabbar set the fire in a linen closet and placed accelerants in the other rooms at the residence.

"His hope was to burn the entire house down and hide evidence of his crimes," Jackson said during Sunday's news conference. The fire, according to Jackson, later extinguished itself after running out of oxygen and fuel, and never connected to the accelerants placed in the other rooms.

A neighbor called 911 when they smelled smoke and the New Orleans Fire Department responded, Jackson said. The smoldering fire was put out and fire personnel alerted law enforcement after discovering evidence at the residence.

Firearms, explosive devices recovered amid investigation

Jackson said the ATF completed traces for a semi-automatic 9mm pistol and semi-automatic rifle that were recovered from Jabbar. The agency found that Jabbar obtained the rifle on Nov. 19 in Arlington, Texas, during a private sale.

"The individual, based on investigation, does not know Jabbar. This was a chance encounter," Jackson said. "There's no way this individual knew that Jabbar was radicalized, or had any sort of awareness that this attack was imminent."

Other firearms were also recovered from the scene, including "privately made silencers," according to Jackson. One of the silencers was attached to the rifle and another was recovered at the rental residence.

Jackson also addressed recent reports on preliminary field tests that indicated Jabbar used a very rare explosive compound.

"R-Salt is very similar in look, texture, and chemical makeup as RDX (explosive material), which is readily common and available in the United States," Jackson said. "The same field tests were done in Houston, at Jabbar's residence, and that tested as true RDX."

Jackson noted that authorities believe additional tests will show that the materials used will conclusively be determined to be RDX. Other materials used for the explosive devices are also readily available in the U.S., according to Jackson.

Jackson said the explosive devices used by Jabbar are "not unique." He added that the only abnormality is that Jabbar used an explosive material that is set off by a detonator.

"Detonators are not easily accessible by the common citizen, so usually homemade bombs are made with explosive material that is set off by a flame," according to Jackson. "Jabbar used explosive material better suited for a detonator, but he didn’t have access to one, so he used an electric match to set the explosives off. Jabbar's lack of experience and crude nature of putting the device together is the reason why he used the wrong device to set the explosives off."

Contributing: John Bacon and Joey Garrison, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Orleans truck attacker visited city twice before rampage: FBI