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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.

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Pic via NBC News
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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”.

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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.

Read more:
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Eyewitnesses describe carnage of attack

Shamsud-Din Jabbar

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.

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At least 36 people killed as tornadoes and high winds rip through US

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At least 36 people killed as tornadoes and high winds rip through US

At least 36 people have been killed as tornadoes and high winds ripped through parts of the US.

The huge storm, which also produced dust storms and icy conditions, destroyed homes, wiped out schools and toppled lorries across the central and southern areas of the country.

National Weather Service meteorologist Cody Snell said tornado watches remain in place for parts of the Carolinas, east Georgia and northern Florida.

At least 36 people have been killed in seven states, including Missouri, where scattered twisters killed a dozen people, according to authorities.

Dakota Henderson, who lives in the state, said he and others found five bodies in the debris outside what was left of his aunt’s house on Friday night as they tried to rescue trapped neighbours.

“It was a very rough deal,” he said on Saturday. “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”

Destruction from a severe storm in Missouri. Pic: AP
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Destruction from a severe storm in Missouri. Pic: AP

Residents search the wreckage in Alabama. Pic: AP
Image:
Residents search the wreckage in Alabama. Pic: AP

Tornadoes continued on Saturday night as the Storm Prediction Center warned a region stretching from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia and Florida was most at risk.

Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiance, Caleb Barnes, watched from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, as a massive twister struck an area about half a mile away near an RV park, before they drove over to help.

They filmed snapped trees, levelled buildings and overturned vehicles as Ms Dillon described the damage as “catastrophic”.

“Everything was destroyed,” she said.

“Homes and everything were destroyed all around it,” she said. “Schools and buildings are just completely gone.”

The dynamic storm, which was given a rare “high risk” designation from weather forecasters, has been blamed for deadly dust storms, icy weather and severe thunderstorms on Sunday.

State of emergency

Mississippi governor Tate Reeves said six people died and more were missing as storms moved further east into Alabama, where three people including an 82-year-old woman were reported dead.

In Arkansas, where three deaths have been confirmed, governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency.

Lorries have been overturned. Pic: AP
Image:
Lorries have been overturned. Pic: AP

Damage caused by wildfires in Oklahoma. Pic: KOCO/AP
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Damage caused by wildfires in Oklahoma. Pic: KOCO/AP

An emergency was also declared in Georgia, where a National Weather Service tornado watch posted early on Sunday warnings of isolated tornadoes, hail and gusts of up to 70mph.

Dust storms and wildfires

Dust storms caused by high winds were blamed for 11 deaths on Friday as eight people died in a pileup involving around 50 vehicles in Kansas, while three people were killed in car crashes in Texas.

The extreme weather conditions were forecast to impact an area home to more than 100 million people, with winds threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and fanning the risk of wildfires in drier, warmer areas to the south.

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Evacuations were ordered in some areas of Oklahoma, with more than 130 fires reported across the state and nearly 300 homes damaged or destroyed.

The state’s governor Kevin Stitt said some 266 square miles had burned and that he had lost a home of his own on a ranch northeast of Oklahoma City.

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At least 26 killed as tornadoes and dust storms rip through parts of US

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At least 26 killed as tornadoes and dust storms rip through parts of US

At least 26 people are reported to have died in powerful storms across the United States.

The number of fatalities increased after eight people died in a highway pile-up caused by a dust storm in Sherman County, Kansas on Friday. At least 50 vehicles were involved.

Car crashes during a dust storm also killed three people in Amarillo, Texas.

Authorities in Missouri say 12 people died after tornadoes struck the state, with another three deaths reported in Arkansas.

Destroyed houses in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
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Destroyed houses in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters

People work through the debris of the Cave City Auto Parts store on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a severe weather storm Friday night in Cave City, Ark. (Staci Vandagriff/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
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A store selling car parts is torn apart in Cave City, Arkansas. Pic: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/AP

The scene of one of the fatal crashes in Austin, Texas on Friday. Pic: AP
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The scene of one of the fatal crashes in Austin, Texas on Friday. Pic: AP

Around 108 million people remain under widespread wind, flash flooding and wildfire alerts in central and southern US states. Hundreds of thousands of households are also without power.

Tornado warnings are in place in parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky as a massive storm system moves across the country.

Many areas across southern states are, or will soon be, dealing with widespread flash flooding, the National Weather Service warned. It added that the flooding could turn deadly.

In Butler County, Missouri, on the border with Arkansas, local coroner Jim Akers said the man and his wife were sleeping when the tornado struck.

Tim Scott, right, gets a hug from friend Jorden Harris outside Scott's home he was inside when it was destroyed during a severe storm the evening before Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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Tim Scott is hugged by a friend outside what is left of his home in Wayne County, Missouri. Pic: AP

The remnants of a destroyed house in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
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Another home destroyed – this one in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters

Rescuers were able to pull the woman from the debris – but could not save the man whose mobile home was ripped apart.

“It was unrecognisable as a home. Just a debris field,” he said, describing the scene. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”

Large vehicles were also pictured overturned across the state.

In this photo provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol, a truck is damaged after a severe storm passed the area near Ozark County, Mo., early Saturday, March 15, 2025.  (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)
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A truck topples over after a severe storm near Ozark County, Missouri. Pic: Missouri State Highway Patrol/AP

Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders warned the recovery could take months after surveying damage from an EF3 tornado in Cave City, in the north of the state.

A storm ranked as EF3, on a scale of one to five, requires wind speeds of between 136-165mph (218-265kph).

Hail the size of baseballs

“It’s hard to look at this level of devastation and not be heartbroken,” she said. “It’s a whole other world when you see it up close and personal.”

Winds gusting up to 80mph (130kph) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier places to the south.

Hail was also a hazard, some the size of baseballs were reported in Christian County, the US weather service said.

Fatal pile-ups during dust storms

In the Texas city of Amarillo, three people were killed in car crashes caused by a dust storm on Friday, according to the state’s public safety department.

One of the deaths happened after three lorries collided with four other vehicles in Palmer County, Bovina’s fire chief Cesar Marquez said. Another occurred after a pile-up of an estimated 38 cars.

The crash scene in Austin, Texas. Pic: AP
Image:
The crash scene in Austin, Texas. Pic: AP

Dashcam of dust storm in Kansas. Pic: Kansas Highway Patrol (Hays).
Source: storyful
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Footage from police dashcam shows the intensity of the dust storm in Kansas. Pic: Kansas Highway Patrol (Hays)

driver captures dust storm on Texas interstate, west of Amarillo, Texas on Fri 14/03/25
No credit required acc to NBC
https://x.com/GauthyGauth/status/1900603029298061588
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West of Amarillo in Texas, a driver captures footage of another dust storm

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” public safety department sergeant Cindy Barkley said, calling the near-zero visibility a nightmare. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state. Nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, said governor Kevin Stitt.

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Three deaths happened due to storm damage in Independence County, Arkansas on Friday night, with a further 29 people injured across eight different counties, authorities said.

More than 260,000 households are without power in midwestern and southern states, according to the monitoring website PowerOutage.us.

The Storm Prediction Center at the National Weather Service issued an update on Sunday, warning of a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms.

The warning covers an area from the extreme southeastern part of Mississippi, across much of Alabama, into western Georgia and the western Florida panhandle.

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Donald Trump launches strikes against Yemen’s Houthis over Red Sea ship attacks

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Donald Trump launches strikes against Yemen's Houthis

US President Donald Trump has launched strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he also warned Iran the country’s support for the group must “end immediately”.

The Iran-backed Houthis reported a series of explosions in Yemen‘s capital Sanaa on Saturday evening.

The Houthi-run health ministry said in a post on X that at least nine civilians have been killed and nine others injured.

Images shared online show plumes of black smoke over the area of the city’s airport complex, which includes a sprawling military facility.

Smoke rises from a location reportedly struck by US airstrikes. Pic: AP
Image:
Smoke rises from a location reportedly struck by US airstrikes. Pic: AP

Mr Trump said the strikes were over the group’s attacks against ships in the Red Sea.

“Your time is up, and your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” he said.

The president said Iran would be held “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy, adding: “And we won’t be nice about it!”

The strikes come days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing in waters off Yemen in response to Israel’s blockade on Gaza, although there have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.

Earlier this month, Israel halted all aid coming into Gaza and warned of “additional consequences” for Hamas if their fragile ceasefire is not extended as negotiations continue over starting a second phase.

“The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” Mr Trump wrote.

“These relentless assaults have cost the US and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”

The Houthis launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

The US, Israel and Britain have previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen.

According to a US official, the operation – the first strike on the Houthis under the second Trump administration – was conducted solely by the US.

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The Houthi media office said the strikes hit “a residential neighbourhood” in Sanaa’s northern district of Shouab.

Sanaa residents said at least four airstrikes hit the Eastern Geraf neighbourhood in the district, terrifying women and children in the area.

“The explosions were very strong,” said Abdallah al Alffi. “It was like an earthquake.”

Similar missile strikes against the Houthis were done multiple times by Joe Biden’s administration in response to frequent attacks by the Houthis against commercial and military vessels in the region.

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