The Albany Gazette - New Orleans attacker: US Army vet 'inspired' by Islamic State

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, posted a series of online videos in which he proclaimed allegiance to the extremist group before driving a rented truck into a New Year's crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14, the FBI said Thursday.

"He was 100 percent inspired by ISIS," FBI deputy assistant director Christopher Raia told a news conference, using another name for the group, while an Islamic State flag was also found in the truck.

Raia said Jabbar, a native Texan, posted five videos to his Facebook account ahead of the attack.

"In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote, 'war between the believers and the disbelievers,'" the FBI official said.

Jabbar served in the US Army as a human resources and IT specialist from 2007 to 2015, and then in the army reserve until 2020, the Pentagon said.

He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 until January 2010, an army spokesperson said, and he held the rank of staff sergeant when honorably discharged.

The Wall Street Journal said he was awarded the Global War on Terrorism medal for his service in Afghanistan.

After leaving the military, Jabbar worked in real estate in Houston and most recently as a "senior solutions specialist" with the consulting firm Deloitte, where the Journal reported he was earning nearly $125,000 a year.

In a video posted on YouTube four years ago, Jabbar -- speaking with a southern US accent -- boasted of his skills as a "fierce negotiator" as he advertised his property management services to potential clients.

Jabbar was twice-married, according to The New York Times, and had three children.

After his second marriage ended in divorce in 2022, he detailed his financial problems in an email to his wife's lawyer.

"I cannot afford the house payment," he reportedly wrote, adding that his real estate company had lost more than $28,000 in the previous year, and he had taken on thousands of dollars in credit card debt to pay for lawyers.

- 'Radicalization, not religion' -

Jabbar's younger brother, Abdur Jabbar, told The New York Times in Beaumont, Texas, where they grew up, that his brother was "a sweetheart really, a nice guy, a friend, really smart, caring."

He said his brother had converted to Islam at a young age, but that "what he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

Criminal records reported by the Times show that Jabbar had two previous charges for minor offenses -- one in 2002 for theft and another in 2005 for driving with an invalid license.

Georgia State University confirmed to AFP that Jabbar attended the university from 2015-2017, graduating with a bachelor's degree in computer systems.

In his YouTube video -- seen by AFP but later removed by moderators -- Jabbar spoke highly about his time serving in the US military.

He said that with this experience, he "learned the meaning of great service and what it means to be responsive and take everything seriously, dotting I's and crossing T's to make sure that things go off without a hitch."

(N.Miller--TAG)