New Orleans truck attack: US army veteran who was ‘quiet and smart’ – what we know about suspect
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
An IS flag was attached to the pick-up truck that was driven down Bourbon Street
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.
Superintendent 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.
Analysis: IS flag link is stark reminder dangerous extremist Islamist ideology never went away
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:
First victims named
What we know so far about atrocity
New Year’s carnage haunts New Orleans – but ‘Big Easy’ has suffered before
Jabbar was army veteran
Jabbar served in the US army on active duty from 2007 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 photo of Jabbar while he was in the US military. Pic: Facebook/Reuters
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.
He also attended Georgia State University from 2015 to 2017, and graduated with a BBA in computer information systems, a spokesperson from the university told NBC.
The student paper interview back in 2015. Pic: Sean Keenan/Georgia State University
Whilst at the university, Jabbar gave an interview to the student newspaper in which he said he struggled to adjust to civilian life after leaving the military.
Author of the article, Sean Keenan, recalled in The New York Times that Jabbar complained about the complexity of veterans trying to get funding for tuition and other educational benefits and how he found it tricky not to use military jargon at the time of the interview.
‘Quiet, smart, articulate’
A childhood friend said Jabbar’s alleged actions on New Year’s Day don’t align at all with the person he knew growing up in Beaumont, Texas.
“What happened today was a complete 180 of anything I ever knew about him,” Chris Pousson, told NBC.
Referring to him as “Sham”, Mr Pousson said he last spoke with Jabbar sometime in 2017 in 2018.
“He was very quiet, very reserved, smart, articulate,” he said.
He said he first met Jabbar in 1996 at Beaumont Middle School. They became instant friends and later attended the same high school. After graduating, the two lost touch when Jabbar joined the army and Mr Pousson joined the air force.
Several years later they reconnected on Facebook. It was then Mr Pousson noticed Jabbar’s posts focused on his Muslim faith.
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New Orleans suspect ‘says hello’ on old promo vid
“It was always positive – peace be with you, uplifting type of stuff,” Mr Pousson said. “Nothing that he posted online that I saw was negative.
“I didn’t see this coming from a mile away.”
The suspect’s brother, Abdur Jabbar, told The New York Times that they last spoke two weeks ago. He said Jabbar did not mention any desire to go to New Orleans.
The 24-year-old said that they had both been brought up Christian, but his brother had converted to Islam a long time ago.
“As far as I know he was a Muslim for most of his life,” Mr Jabbar said.
“What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalisation, not religion.”
According to Mr Jabbar, his brother had a six-year-old son and older daughters, The Times reported.
YouTube video
Jabbar is known to have appeared in a promotional video on YouTube in 2020 talking about his real estate business.
In the footage, he 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.
It is also known Jabbar had been working at professional services giant Deloitte since 2021.
In a statement confirming his employment, the company, which provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and legal services, told NBC it was shocked to learn of its connection to Jabbar.
“Like everyone, we are outraged by this shameful and senseless act of violence and are doing all we can to assist authorities in their investigation,” Deloitte managing director Jonathan Gandal said.
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 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.
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New Orleans suspect ‘inspired by ISIS’
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.
A woman who identified herself to NBC as Jabbar’s sister-in-law and asked to not be named said relatives in Texas were in shock when they heard the news.
It makes “no sense,” she said. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever known.”
“I really don’t know what happened,” she added. “He was a good man. He takes care of his children and everything.”
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.
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died aged 41.
In a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News on Friday, her family said she took her own life in the Perth suburb of Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for several years.
“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said.
“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.
“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.
“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”
Pic: AP
Police said emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in Neergabby on Friday night.
“Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said.
“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”
Sexual assault claims
Prince Andrew has denied all claims of wrongdoing. File pic: Reuters
Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any criminal offences.
In March 2022, it was announced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement – believed to include a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.
‘An incredible champion’
Sigrid McCawley, Ms Giuffre’s attorney, said in a statement that she “was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims”.
“Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” she said. “The world has lost an amazing human being today.”
“Rest in peace, my sweet angel,” she added.
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Dini von Mueffling, Ms Giuffre’s representative, also said that “Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.
“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” she added. “She adored her children and many animals.
“She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words.
“It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”
Ms Giuffre said at the end of March she had four days to live after a car accident, posting on social media that “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure”. She was discharged from hospital eight days later.
Raised mainly in Florida, she said she was abused by a family friend early in life, which led to her living on the streets at times as a teenager.
She said that in 2000, she met Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: US Department of Justice
Ms Giuffre said Maxwell then introduced her to Epstein and hired her as his masseuse, and said she was sex trafficked and sexually abused by him and associates around the world.
‘A survivor’
After meeting her husband in 2002, while taking massage training in Thailand at what she said was Epstein’s behest, she moved to Australia and had a family.
She founded the sex trafficking victims’ advocacy charity SOAR in 2015, and is quoted on its website as saying: “I do this for victims everywhere.
“I am no longer the young and vulnerable girl who could be bullied. I am now a survivor, and nobody can ever take that away from me.”
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
Donald Trump has met Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the Pope’s funeral, Vatican sources have told Sky News.
The US and Ukrainian presidents had a “very productive discussion”, according to a White House Official, and have also agreed to hold further talks after the service.
They are among world leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, who are attending the funeral of Pope Francis.
Follow live updates: Zelenskyy among world leaders joining thousands of mourners
There was applause from some of those gathered in St Peter’s Square when the Ukrainian leader walked out.
The former British ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy.
Trump and Zelenskyy meet for first time since Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine, and is their first face-to-face meeting after a very public row between the presidents at the White House in February.
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish Armed Forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening, in a post on X.
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US
Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine are ‘very close to a deal’ – and says ‘two sides should now meet’
Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine are “very close to a deal” with “most of the major points agreed” – as he called for the two sides to meet.
Shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, the US president said high-level officials should now meet to “finish [the deal] off”.
“A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’.
“Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”
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Ukraine-Russia peace talks explained
Throughout the week, the US president has criticised both Ukraine and Russia for failing to agree to a peace deal.
On Wednesday, he accused Mr Zelenskyy of harming talks on Truth Social, saying “the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE”.
A day later, after nine people were killed in Kyiv after a Russian missile and drone strike, Mr Trump said: “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”
The president and other officials have also threatened to withdraw from negotiations if no progress is made toward a deal.
It comes after Mr Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine.
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Putin-Witkoff meeting
The talks allowed Russia and the United States to “further bring their positions closer together” on “a number of international issues”, a Kremlin aide said.
Speaking earlier on the flight to Italy, Mr Trump said he hadn’t been fully briefed on Mr Witkoff and Mr Putin’s meeting – but added it was a “pretty good meeting”.
Read more:
US and Russia talks moving in ‘right direction’, top diplomat says
A ‘barbaric’ 24 hours in a ‘horrendous’ war
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Ukraine has repeatedly said it would not accept a deal conceding land or handing over sovereignty to Russia.
However, Mr Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” describing the region as a place where Moscow has “had their submarines” and “the people speak largely Russian”.
“Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time,” he added. “It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
When asked on Friday about Mr Trump’s comments, Mr Zelenskyy did not want to comment but repeated that recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian is a red line.
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