The suspect in the New Orleans truck attack has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
The FBI said he was a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. Talking about himself in a promotional video, Jabbar said he was born and raised in the state.
At least 15 people were killed in the suspected terror attack which also injured dozens of others.
Image: The truck that Jabbar is believed to have used in the New Orleans attack
The attack
US army veteranJabbar is believed to have driven a Ford pick-up truck into a crowd of revellers celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of the southern US city.
Police said he was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”.
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“It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” said police chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
Police chief Ms Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, shot and wounded two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed.
The officers were in stable condition, she added.
Jabbar died in firefight
Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3.15am local time (9.15am UK time) on Wednesday.
The bureau said the truck appeared to have been rented.
It also said an ISIS flag, weapons, and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said.
Jabbar served in the US army on active duty from 2006 to 2015, then in the army reserves from 2015 to 2020.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. He was a staff sergeant when he left with an honourable discharge in 2020.
Separately, he tried to enlist in the navy in 2004 but never actually shipped or began training.
A navy spokesperson said: “Our records show that a Shamsuddin Bahar Jabbar enlisted on 12 August 2004, in Navy Recruiting District Houston and was discharged from the Delayed Entry Programme one month later on 13 September 2004.
“He did not go to Recruit Training Command. The DOB matches. Because he did not serve in the navy, there is no additional information to add to the attached biography.”
NBC, Sky News’ US network partner, reported that Jabbar was a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from 2007 to January 2015 in the regular US army.
He was also an IT specialist in the army reserves between 2015 and 2020.
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New Orleans suspect ‘says hello’ on old promo vid
YouTube video
He is known to have appeared in a promotional video on YouTube in 2020 talking about his real estate business.
Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist, learning the importance of great service and taking 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… be a fierce negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.
Was Jabbar helped by others?
The FBI initially said it did not believe he was “solely responsible” for Wednesday’s attack, but later ruled out three other potential suspects they were looking into. It is not known if he worked alone or not.
It is investigating the attacker to determine “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations”.
President Joe Biden said said the suspect had expressed a “desire to kill” and had posted a video to social media hours before the attack in which he said he was inspired by the Islamic State group.
Officials are also looking into a “possible military connection” between Jabbar and the driver of a Tesla cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels, according to NBC News reports.
The driver, who has not been identified, was killed in the explosion. Sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News he had previous military experience.
The officials are also looking into the fact both men used the Turo car app to rent the vehicles used in both incidents.
Previous arrests
Jabbar was arrested in Texas in 2002 for theft, classed as a misdemeanour, and he was fined $100 by a court.
He was also arrested in the same state in 2005 for driving with an invalid licence, also classed as a misdemeanour, and was fined $100 by a court.
Twice married
Civil records show Jabbar was married twice, with his first marriage ending in 2012, NBC reported.
A petition for a second divorce was initiated in 2021.
Public records show that in 2020, Jabbar’s then wife filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against him.
The order stated that both parties should not engage in “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to the other party or to a child of either party” or “threatening the other party or a child of either party with imminent bodily injury”.
The divorce was finalised in 2022. Jabbar and his ex-wife were granted joint custody of their child.
FBI says other possible explosives found
Two other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter and were made safe, the FBI said.
The historic area is known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.
Donald Trump says the Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if all remaining Israeli hostages are not returned by noon on Saturday – as he warned Hamas that “all hell is going to break out”.
The US president’s intervention came hours after Hamas has said it will delay the release of more hostages and accused Israel of violating their ceasefire deal.
While signing a series of new executive orders, Mr Trump said he feared many Israeli hostages scheduled for release are already dead.
Referring to his Saturday deadline for the release of hostages, Mr Trump said: “If they’re not here, all hell is going to break out.”
He acknowledged that a decision to end the ceasefire was up to Israel, adding: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
Hours earlier, Mr Trump said Palestinians would not have the right to return under his plan for US “ownership” of Gaza – contradicting officials in his administration who said they would be relocated temporarily.
Image: Widespread destruction seen in Gaza City. Pic: AP
Hamas halts release of hostages
Earlier on Monday, Hamas claimed ceasefire violations had included “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.
Spokesman Abu Obeida said Hamas remained committed if Israel kept to the terms, but that the 15 February handover was postponed “until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks”.
Egyptian security sources told Reuters that mediators now fear the deal will break down.
They said Hamas believes Israel isn’t serious about the ceasefire – which began on 19 January.
They were among about 250 people taken during the 7 October 2023 attack, when 1,200 people were murdered.
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Tears as Thai hostages return home
Five swaps have taken place so far, with 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners released.
Saturday’s exchange was due to involve three more Israelis and hundreds of Palestinians.
Defence minister Israel Katz said any delay in releasing hostages would be “a complete violation” and he had instructed troops to be on highest alert.
The Hostages and Missing Family Forum called on mediating countries to restore the deal, saying “time is of the essence” and citing “the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday”.
The four-mile-long Netzarim corridor separates northern Gaza from the south, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have now crossed back over.
However, Israel pushed back the withdrawal by a few days in protest at the chaotic release of hostages Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses.
This may be what Hamas is referencing what it talks of “delaying the return of the displaced”.
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Palestinians return to destroyed Netzarim
There have also been examples of Israeli troops shooting at or near Palestinians approaching Israeli forces after being warned to stay back.
So far, little progress has been made on an extension to the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.
A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern the deal might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.
Israel has previously said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are eliminated.
Hamas has countered that it will not hand over the final hostages until Israel removes all its troops from Gaza.
Image: ‘We were being pummelled by both friend and foe alike,’ said the US president
The proclamations mean the president has now removed the exceptions and exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on steel to allow for all imports of the metal to be taxed at 25%.
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The new tariff on aluminium is also much higher than the 10% duty he imposed on the material in his first term.
The tariffs are part of an aggressive push by Mr Trump to reset global trade, as he claims that price hikes on the people and companies buying foreign-made products will ultimately strengthen domestic manufacturing.
Outside economic analyses suggest the tariffs would increase costs for the factories that use steel and aluminium, possibly leaving US manufacturers worse off.
Canada, the largest source of steel imports to the US, criticised the move.
Candace Laing, CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Mr Trump was destabilising the global economy.
“Today’s news makes it clear that perpetual uncertainty is here to stay,” she said.
At least part of the idea behind tariffs is to bring some production back to the US, but imposing them will have consequences.
What kinds of consequences? Well, at its simplest, tariffs push up prices. This is, when you think about it, blindingly obvious.
A tariff is a tax on a good entering the country.
So if aluminium and steel are going up in price then that means, all else equal, that the cost of making everything from aircraft wings to steel rivets also goes up.
That in turn means consumers end up paying the price – and if a company can’t make ends meet in the face of these tariffs, it means job losses – possibly within the very industrial sectors the president wants to protect.
So says the economic theory. But in practice, economics isn’t everything.
There are countless examples throughout history of countries defying economic logic in search of other goals.
Perhaps they want to improve their national self-reliance in a given product; perhaps they want to ensure certain jobs in cherished areas or industries are protected.
But nothing comes for free, and even if Donald Trump’s tariffs succeed in persuading domestic producers to smelt more aluminium or steel, such things don’t happen overnight.
In the short run, it’s hard to see how these tariffs wouldn’t be significantly inflationary.
Donald Trump has said Palestinians would have no right to return to Gaza under his proposal to relocate its population and rebuild the Strip.
The president last week debuted his suggestion to “own” Gaza and shut out Hamas while it’s redeveloped, but has now contradicted officials who had said any relocation would be temporary.
Asked by Fox News if Palestinians could return, he replied: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”
Speaking on Monday at the White House, Mr Trump also suggested the current ceasefire in Gaza should end on Saturday if Hamas does not release hostages as planned.
He then went further, saying all the remaining hostages should be released by midday on Saturday, or the ceasefire should be cancelled – and that “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages are not freed then.
But the US president added: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”
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‘I would own this’ – Trump on Gaza
Mr Trump told Fox News his future vision for Gazawas to build multiple “safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is”, adding the area is currently “not habitable”.
He said he believed he could cut a deal with Jordan or Egypt to take people in.
However, Arab allies – including Egypt and Saudi Arabia – have dismissed the idea of relocating Gaza’s two-million-plus population.
Western countries have also rejected the proposal; an independent state for Palestinians remains the favoured way forward but is a no-go for the Israeli government.
When asked in the media, Palestinians have also rubbished the idea.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported Mr Trump’s controversial proposal.
Image: Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters
Much of Gaza lies in ruins due to Israel‘s attempt to wipe out Hamas after its 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.
About 250 were also kidnapped, but those still alive have started to be released in recent weeks after a hard-won truce took effect last month.
Since the ceasefire began on 19 January, five swaps have taken place – with 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages released.
In total, Israel has said it will release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners in return for 33 Israeli hostages during the deal’s first phase.
Prospect of no return most offensive part of radical plan
From Donald Trump, it’s a hardened “No”. Asked directly if Palestinians would have the right to return to a redeveloped Gaza, he told Fox News Channel’s Brett Baier: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing.”
If the notion of Trump building on Gaza has offended its people, most offensive is the prospect for them of no return. Since Donald Trump first suggested taking and building on Palestinian land, observers in America, the Middle East and all countries in between have been assessing its seriousness.
Everything he’s said since indicates he’s committed both to the project and to ignoring entrenched objections from allies and adversaries alike.
In spite of flat refusals by Jordan and Egypt to resettle Palestinians in those countries, Trump said: “I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year.”
If peace in the Middle East was a matter of money, it would have been solved long ago. Tuesday’s meeting in Washington between Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah won’t be easy.
In the White House, the Jordanian leader will talk numbers of his own – the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees already living in the Hashemite kingdom and the instability threatened by moving more.
Trump is also due to meet the Egyptian president and the Saudi crown prince in the coming days – it is a chorus of Arab voices to caution an expansionist president at a delicate time, as parties involved in the current conflict work through the phases of a ceasefire deal.
Trump’s plan is radical and it invites fresh-eyed debate over a way forward for the region.
However, it is the property deal that separates a people from their home – again. At the heart of a radical plan, it’s the inherent recklessness.
So far, little progress has been made on an extension to the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.
A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern the deal might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.