New Orleans truck attack: Married twice and a US army veteran – what we know about suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar
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.
Latest updates on New Orleans attack
The truck that Jabbar is believed to have used in the New Orleans attack
The attack
US army veteran Jabbar 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”.
“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.
Read more:
What we know so far about atrocity
Eyewitnesses describe carnage of attack
Jabbar was army veteran
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.
Right-wing American influencer Charlie Kirk has died after being shot, according to Donald Trump.
The US president announced that the conservative student leader and an ally of Mr Trump had died after being shot during a university event in Orem, Utah.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” wrote the American leader on his Truth Social account.
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
Earlier, witnesses said they heard a shot fired from a nearby building as Kirk spoke, a university spokesperson told Sky’s US partner NBC News.
Videos on social media show Kirk speaking into a microphone while sitting under a white tent with the slogans “The American Comeback” and “Prove Me Wrong”.
A single shot is heard and Mr Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as blood comes out from the left side of his neck. He then falls off his chair.
File pic: AP
A university spokesperson confirmed he had been shot in the neck. He was then taken to hospital by private security and underwent surgery.
President Trump earlier asked people to pray for the 31-year-old conservative activist.
The father-of-two is the chief executive and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a prominent organisation that engages conservative youth on school campuses.
The university earlier said a suspect was in custody but later clarified that was not the case.
Mr Kirk and Turning Point USA played a key role in driving youth support for Mr Trump in last November’s presidential election. His events at college campuses nationwide typically draw large crowds.
President Trump often spoken favourably about Mr Kirk, including multiple times on the campaign trail last year.
File pic: AP
During a rally in Washington the day before he was sworn in for a second term in January, Mr Trump told attendees: “Charlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie. Charlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.”
A few weeks before, during a rally in Las Vegas on 22 December 2024, Mr Trump called Mr Kirk “incredible”, adding that he “is a special talent, and he’s out there fighting”.
The president, then a candidate for the White House, also appeared last October at a Turning Point USA political rally in Phoenix.
“I want to express my tremendous gratitude to Charlie Kirk. He’s really an amazing guy. Amazing guy,” Mr Trump said.
The president, on the campaign trail last June, also lauded Mr Kirk at a Turning Point Action town hall in Phoenix, saying, “I want to thank a special person, Charlie Kirk, for his tremendous leadership.”
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The resurfacing of an affectionate greeting to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, alleged to have come from Lord Mandelson, raises huge questions.
It couldn’t have come at a worse moment – days before Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, in which Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, will play a significant role.
While he focuses on crafting Anglo-American collaboration on technology, his judgment is under scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic.
Newly released files, which had been demanded by the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill, appear to contain notes he sent to Jeffrey Epstein.
Follow updates: White House denies Trump behind birthday note
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The messages inside Epstein ‘birthday book’
One reads: “…wherever he is in the world, he remains my best pal!”
“Happy birthday, Jeffrey we love you!!” it concludes.
An image, apparently written by Mandelson, referring to Epstein as a ‘best pal’. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Mandelson’s connection to the billionaire, who died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, is well documented.
A 2019 JP Morgan internal report flagged a notably close relationship between the two.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
But his alleged use of the words “best pal” suggests a closer and warmer relationship than had been previously acknowledged.
Questioned about it in 2025, the UK’s ambassador to the US expressed “deep regret” over knowing Epstein but dismissed the issue as a media “obsession”.
A picture of Epstein and Mandelson together in the ‘birthday book’ released by the US Congress. Credit: U.S. House Oversight Committee
Peter Mandelson, once dubbed “the Prince of Darkness” within Westminster, is a veteran politician who served in cabinet under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
His appointment as UK Ambassador to the United States in February 2025 surprised many people.
Read more:
What is in Epstein’s ‘birthday book’?
It is unusual for someone considered a political heavyweight to find themselves in what is traditionally a diplomatic role.
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From May: Sky’s James Matthews questions Lord Mandelson over Jeffrey Epstein association
Asked about the alleged birthday greeting, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer had “full confidence” in the UK’s ambassador to the US.
The one thing sparing him any difficult questions from the White House is the fact that Mr Trump faces just as many himself over Epstein.
Donald Trump’s bid to fire a US central bank rate-setter has suffered a setback after a federal judge blocked the move.
The president revealed last month that he was removing Lisa Cook from her post at the Federal Reserve on alleged mortgage fraud grounds.
The move was widely seen by commentators as a bid to destroy the Fed’s independence through the appointment of a new governor who would support his bid for interest rate cuts to boost the trade war-hit US economy.
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Ms Cook, who denies wrongdoing and any cause to dismiss her, was appointed to the Fed’s board by former US president Joe Biden. The board forms part of the panel that votes on US interest rate decisions.
She secured a preliminary court ruling late on Tuesday which found that the Trump administration’s claims she committed mortgage fraud prior to taking office were likely not sufficient grounds for her removal.
The White House has claimed she inaccurately described three separate properties on mortgage applications, which could have allowed her to obtain lower interest rates and tax credits.
Lisa Cook is the first black woman to serve as a Fed governor. File pic: AP
But US District Judge Jia Cobb said: “President Trump has not identified anything related to Cook’s conduct or job performance as a Board member that would indicate that she is harming the Board or the public interest by executing her duties unfaithfully or ineffectively.”
The ruling, which could yet be appealed, means she can continue in her role while her own lawsuit proceeds.
It could end up in the Supreme Court.
Mr Trump’s demands this year that the Fed cuts rates have so far fallen on deaf ears as the central bank voting has shown too much concern over trade war-linked inflation. Prices have risen as higher import duties have been passed on.
He has repeatedly called for Fed chair Jay Powell to resign but retracted threats to fire him.
The president may actually get his wish for a cut this month amid a deterioration in the employment market – also widely blamed on his trade war – as hiring has slumped.
The central bank, unlike the Bank of England, has a dual mandate to ensure maximum employment as well as keeping inflation in check.
Any rate cut would be unlikely to extinguish the Trump administration’s effort to influence monetary policy.
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The Fed’s ability to set interest rates without regard to politicians’ demands is critical to market confidence, let alone the central bank’s ability to keep inflation under control.
Neither the Fed or the White House commented on the ruling.
Ms Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said: “This ruling recognises and reaffirms the importance of safeguarding the independence of the Federal Reserve from illegal political interference.”
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