The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that the attacker was 42-year-old US citizen Shamsuddin Jabbar from the state of Texas. He was a real estate agent in Houston, but had previously served in the military.
Officials said that they are looking for possible accomplices.
According to information provided by the FBI, an “Islamic State” flag was found in the attacker’s car.
President Joe Biden, who called the attack a despicable act, said Jabbar had posted videos online hours earlier suggesting he was inspired by the Islamic State.
According to the information provided by the police, the attack took place on New Year’s Eve after three o’clock in the center of the French Quarter, where there were many people celebrating the beginning of 2025.
Jabbar rammed into people in a white Ford F-150 electric pickup, then got out of the car and was killed in a shootout with police that injured two officers. Two home-made bombs were found and neutralized in the car.
A police spokeswoman said that Jabbar, driving at high speed, purposefully tried to hit as many people as possible.
According to information provided by the Pentagon, Jabbar served in the US Army as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist from 2007 to 2015, and was in the armed forces reserve until 2020. In 2009-2010, he served in Afghanistan.
Law enforcement authorities are also investigating whether the terrorist attack in New Orleans is connected to the explosion of an electric car “Tesla Cybertruck” at the entrance of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, which is partly owned by the newly elected US President Donald Trump. The driver of the car was killed in the explosion and seven people were slightly injured. There were petrol cans and pyrotechnics in the car.
The cars involved in both incidents were rented through the car-sharing app Turo.