New Orleans terrorist attacker travelled to Egypt, Ontario

Shamsud-Din Jabbar made two trips to New Orleans. Also, he went to Egypt and Ontario before the early New Year’s Day terrorist attack that killed 14 people.

Months before the New Orleans terror attack, the attacker rode a bicycle through the area, recording videos of his targets with eyeglasses that had a built-in camera. 

He returned a second time a few weeks later to continue his planning.

Investigators have been trying to create a clear timeline of the attacker’s actions.

They have established a detailed account of his movements in the hours before the attack, including loading guns in his rental pickup truck and planting explosive devices in coolers near Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.

A more extensive search showed the radicalization of an Army veteran with a high-paying job at an accounting firm who claimed allegiance to ISIS.

Jabbar had the ISIS flag in his rented Ford F-150 pickup truck during the attack. 

“I wanted you to know that I joined ISIS earlier this year,” said Jabbar in a video recorded for his family.

Investigators found Jabbar had travelled to Egypt and Ontario in 2023. However, they have not determined if those trips influenced his beliefs or planning for the New Orleans attack.

“Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions here in our city,” said Lyonel Myrthil,  F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge of New Orleans.

New Orleans has reopened Bourbon Street and is preparing for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.

A crowd gathered on Saturday for a vigil with a traditional second line.

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with the police and wounded two officers.

Officials said on Sunday that they believe Jabbar acted alone in the attack and are still investigating his ties to ISIS. 

They do not know why he chose New Orleans.

Investigators found two explosive devices in coolers near the Bourbon Street crowd on New Year’s morning. 

They said he seemed to have limited experience making and using explosives, but they believed some of the devices could have been effective.

Jabbar had a transmitter in the pickup. 

“We believe that the transmitter would have functioned,” said Myrthil.

The explosive devices were quickly deactivated by the police shortly after the ramming attack.

Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck from Texas to New Orleans on December 31, reaching the city that afternoon. 

Before heading to the French Quarter, he started a fire at his rented New Orleans residence, where investigators later discovered bomb-making materials. 

The fire burned out on its own before firefighters arrived.

President Biden visits on Monday.