Suspect in New Orleans terrorist attack had Georgia, military ties

Jozsef Papp and Jennifer Peebles, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jan 1, 2025

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The man who drove a truck into a New Year’s Day crowd in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others in a terrorist attack had multiple Georgia and military ties, including earning a degree from Georgia State University.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, was identified as the suspect by the FBI Wednesday. Jabbar, who was killed in a shootout with law enforcement at the crime scene, apparently lived in the Atlanta area several years ago, was divorced here and received a college degree here, according to court records.

Officials with Georgia State confirmed Jabbar earned a BBA degree in Computer Information Systems in 2017 and has not been an active student since.

DeKalb divorce court records show Jabbar filed for divorce from a Cobb County woman on May 19, 2016. They had married on Sept. 15, 2013 and had no children. He reportedly also married and divorced in Texas.

Efforts by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to reach Jabbar’s former wife in Georgia on Wednesday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Records show Jabbar apparently lived on Horseshoe Creek Drive in Marietta. Jeff and Amanda Rigen, who live across the street from his former address, remembered Jabbar after being shown a picture by an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter. Both said Jabbar was the landlord of the Horseshoe Creek house.

They recalled one occasion Jabbar asked them to keep an eye on the place and he was working on fixing it up.

Neighbors around the Clarkston address did not recognize Jabbar.

FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said in a news conference that they don’t believe Jabbar was acting alone and are pursuing every lead, including known associates.

Duncan confirmed Jabbar is an Army veteran, who they believe was honorably discharged.

Jabar drove a Ford pickup truck, which appears to have been rented and was carrying an ISIS flag, through a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, killing at least 10 people and injuring more than 30. Investigators are working to determine any ties to terrorist organizations.

The AJC reviewed a video Jabbar apparently posted on YouTube four years ago in which he promoted his real estate business. He said in the video that he’s from Beaumont and lives in Houston. He said he spent 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist in the military.

— Staff writer Danielle Charbonneau, senior editors Eric Stirgus and Scott Trubey and Managing Editor Janel Davis contributed to this story

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