New Orleans attacker researched German Christmas market rampage and Bourbon Street balcony access, FBI says
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - The FBI released an update on their investigation into the possible motive behind the New Year’s Bourbon Street attack.
On Tuesday, the FBI released new details about the attacker, identified as Shamsud Di Jabbar, as well as an updated number of victims impacted by the attack.
The FBI reported they have identified 57 people who were physically hurt in the attack. The updated number of identified victims is now 137. Fourteen of them were killed in the attack.
Evidence collected by the FBI indicates Jabbar began isolating himself from society in 2022 when he became “a more devout Muslim.” They reported that it wasn’t until 2024 that he began to follow more extremist views.
The FBI reported that Jabbar came to New Orleans from Houston by train on Nov. 10 and looked at an apartment to rent on Orleans Street, which intersects with Bourbon Street.
Jabbar returned to Houston that night and applied to rent the apartment in the following days. However, the FBI reported he later told the landlord that he changed his mind.
The FBI’s investigation into Jabbar’s internet search history revealed he had researched balcony access over Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, and shootings that happened in the city as late as mid-November.
They also uncovered Jabbar had looked into the type of vehicle that was used in an attack at a Christmas Market in 10 days prior. Five people were killed and 200 others were injured when a car drove through the busy outdoor market on Dec. 20.
The FBI’s investigation remains ongoing and they ask anyone with informal to reach out at www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or call 1-800-call-FBI.
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