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The Bloody New Year’s Attack In New Orleans. What Drove Shamsud-Din Jabbar To Commit This Atrocity, And Why Car Ramming Is Increasingly Being Adopted As Acts Of Terror?
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans were immersed in celebration, embracing the hope and joy of a fresh start. Little did they know, tragedy was lurking around the corner.
At 3:15 a.m., the festivities turned into chaos and despair as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, deliberately rammed a rented pickup truck into a crowd of pedestrians, leaving at least 15 dead and 30 injured. The carnage ended in a violent shootout with the police, during which Jabbar was fatally shot, but not before two officers sustained injuries.
This heinous act has left the nation struggling with grief and searching for answers.
What drove Jabbar to commit such a monstrous crime? And why are car-ramming attacks increasingly becoming a favored method of terrorism?
The Suspect. A Complex Profile
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas native, served in the U.S. Army from 2007 to 2015, including a deployment to Afghanistan. He continued his service in the Army Reserve until 2020, leaving with the rank of staff sergeant.
However, despite his decorated military career, Jabbar’s transition to civilian life was not with challenges. In a 2015 interview with Georgia State University’s student paper, Jabbar candidly discussed his struggles with acclimating to life outside the military. He attended Georgia State from 2015 to 2017, earning a degree in computer information systems.
This contradiction of a disciplined military background and post-service struggles paints a picture of a man who may have been battling inner demons. Yet, the motivations behind his actions appear to extend beyond personal turmoil.
Hours before the attack, Jabbar uploaded videos to social media expressing his allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) and a “desire to kill.” An ISIS flag found in his truck and potential explosive devices further indicate a calculated act of terror rather than a spontaneous outburst.
Why Car-Ramming?
Car-ramming has emerged as a disturbingly effective method of terrorism in recent years.
The simplicity of this tactic makes it accessible to lone actors and small groups alike. Unlike firearms or explosives, vehicles are ubiquitous and don’t typically arouse suspicion.
The psychological impact is devastating, as such attacks strike at the heart of public spaces where people feel most secure.
The attack in New Orleans mirrors similar incidents worldwide, from the recent attack in Germany where a car rammed into a crowded Christmas market, killing many and injuring several to 2016 Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, to the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack in London.
In each case, the use of a vehicle as a weapon allowed the perpetrators to maximize casualties with minimal planning or resources. Jabbar’s choice of a rented Ford F-150 Lightning—a powerful pickup truck—shows the calculated nature of his attack, aiming to inflict maximum damage.
A Broader Conspiracy?
Authorities believe Jabbar was not acting alone. The presence of an ISIS flag and explosive devices suggests possible coordination with a broader network.
Hours after the New Orleans attack, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven others. While investigators have yet to establish a direct link between the two incidents, the timing and nature of the attacks raise alarming questions about coordinated efforts.
The trucks used in both incidents were rented through the same peer-to-peer app, Turo, prompting further investigation. The owner of the Ford pickup truck used in New Orleans recognized his vehicle from news footage and reported it to the company. Turo has since disabled the truck for rentals, but the link between these incidents indicate the vulnerabilities in such platforms.
FBI Assistant Special Agent Alethea Duncan urged anyone who had contact with Jabbar in the 72 hours leading up to the attack to come forward. This plea and the ongoing investigation aims to understand into whether Jabbar’s actions were part of a larger, orchestrated plot or inspired by extremist propaganda.
The Chilling Recordings
Several videos have also been found, these videos, which appear to have been recorded at night while Jabbar was driving, are under review by law enforcement as they work to unravel how he transitioned from a decorated military veteran to a suspect in a deadly rampage.
Jabbar served in the Army for over a decade, according to an Army spokesperson. He was an active-duty human resources and IT specialist from March 2007 to January 2015, deploying to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. After leaving active duty, he served in the Army Reserve until July 2020, leaving as a staff sergeant.
Born in Beaumont, Texas, Jabbar shared his story in a 2020 YouTube video titled “Personal Introduction,” where he presented himself as a professional real estate agent in Houston. He spoke about how his military service taught him discipline and the importance of detail-oriented work.
The video, now offline, featured a framed poster with the word “Discipline” and a book titled “Leadership.”
Jabbar’s academic achievements include an associate degree from Central Texas College in 2010 and a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Georgia State University in 2017.
His professional career included roles in business development and data engineering at Deloitte and Accenture. While Georgia State confirmed his graduation, Central Texas College and Accenture have not as yet not respond to inquiries.
Deloitte, in a statement, expressed shock and outrage, confirming Jabbar’s brief tenure at the firm in 2021 and pledging full cooperation with authorities.
Jabbar also obtained a real estate license in 2019, which expired in 2023, according to the Texas Real Estate Commission. Public records indicate he was associated with several companies in Texas and Georgia, further illustrating his multifaceted background.
Jabbar’s Troubled Past
Court records reveal that Shamsud-Din Jabbar experienced strained personal relationships, marked by two divorces. In 2012, his first wife filed a lawsuit seeking child support shortly after Jabbar initiated divorce proceedings. Over the years, the court adjusted his payment obligations upward as his income grew, but the case was eventually dismissed in 2022.
In 2020, during his second divorce, a Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order against Jabbar at his wife’s request. The order required both parties to refrain from threats, physical harm, or other prohibited actions toward one another or their children. In her court filing, Jabbar’s ex-wife cited “discord or a conflict of personalities” as the reason for the marriage’s breakdown.
Financial Business Failures
Jabbar’s recent years were marked by financial instability. In January 2022, he disclosed in an email, filed as part of his divorce proceedings, that he was struggling to make payments on his home, which was over $27,000 in arrears and at risk of foreclosure.
He also admitted that one of his ventures, Blue Meadow Properties, had incurred a loss of approximately $28,000 the previous year. Additionally, he reported significant credit card debt, amounting to around $16,000, and acknowledged that his other business ventures had no financial value.
The Last Bit
The New Orleans attack marks one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in the United States in recent years. It serves to show the persistent threat posed by radical ideologies and the challenges of identifying and preventing lone-wolf attacks.
President Joe Biden, in addressing the nation, emphasized the need for vigilance and unity in the face of such tragedies.
At the same time, residents near the French Quarter and in Mandeville Street neighborhoods are also deeply impacted, with many displaced as law enforcement cordoned off areas for investigation.
The road to healing will be long and as we confront the sobering realities of this attack, as more details unfold during the investigation, the fact is that many innocent lives have been lost and for several the road to recovery will be equally long.
The Question – why is there a pattern here, it has been observed that people who have a troubled life, gravitate towards extremism and more prone to committing such acts?