John Jefferson
FBI New Orleans released a new photo showing Shamsud-Din Jabbar riding a bicycle through the city’s French Quarter back in October, during a possible scouting mission before the terror attack in which he drove a pickup truck through a crowd of pedestrians on New Year’s and opened fire on police.
The attack killed 14 revelers and injured more than 30 others. Jabbar died in a shootout with responding officers.
The photo shows Jabbar riding a bicycle and wearing what could be a pair of Meta smart glasses, which investigators say he used to stream and record videos. It was taken on Halloween – another holiday where Americans are known to step outside in droves to celebrate.
Anyone with information on the attack or Jabbar, or who was on Bourbon Street for New Year’s – or who was in the French Quarter between 2 and 6 p.m. on Oct. 31, is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips, including photos and videos, can also be submitted online.
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Authorities previously said Jabbar, an Army veteran who went on to a lucrative job at a consulting firm, traveled to Egypt for 110 days in 2023.
He had also visited New Orleans at least twice before the attack, in October and November, using the Meta glasses to record video along parts of Bourbon Street, according to the FBI.
He used the Turo app to rent a Ford F-150 EV in Houston and drove to Louisiana, posting Facebook videos along the way about his allegiance to ISIS.
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Prior to the early morning attack on Jan. 1, he planted two coolers packed with IEDs. They did not detonate.
At 3:17 a.m., he sped around a parked police vehicle and began mowing down pedestrians.
Video shows him zooming down the narrow street at a high speed as panicked revelers run for their lives.
Police recovered an Islamic State group flag in Jabbar’s truck and at least three cellphones.
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