The suspect in the New Orleans truck attack has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
The FBI said he was a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. Talking about himself in a promotional video, Jabbar said he was born and raised in the state.
At least 15 people were killed in the suspected terror attack which also injured dozens of others.
What do we know about Jabbar?
US army veteran Jabbar is believed to have driven a Ford pick-up truck into a crowd of revellers celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of the southern US city.
Police said he was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”.
“It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” said police chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
Jabbar died in firefight
Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3.15am local time (9.15am UK time) on Wednesday.
The bureau said the truck appeared to have been rented.
It also said an ISIS flag, weapons, and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said.
Jabbar was army veteran
Jabbar served in the US army on active duty from 2006 to 2015, then in the army reserves from 2015 to 2020.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. He was a staff sergeant when he left with an honourable discharge in 2020.
Separately, he tried to enlist in the navy in 2004 but never actually shipped or began training.
A navy spokesperson said: “Our records show that a Shamsuddin Bahar Jabbar enlisted on 12 August 2004, in Navy Recruiting District Houston and was discharged from the Delayed Entry Programme one month later on 13 September 2004.
“He did not go to Recruit Training Command. The DOB matches. Because he did not serve in the navy, there is no additional information to add to the attached biography.”
NBC, Sky News’ US network partner, reported that Jabbar was a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from 2007 to January 2015 in the regular US army.
He was also an IT specialist in the army reserves between 2015 and 2020.
YouTube video
He is known to have appeared in a promotional video on YouTube in 2020 talking about his real estate business.
Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist, learning the importance of great service and taking everything seriously.
“I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to… be a fierce negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.
Was Jabbar helped by others?
The FBI initially said it did not believe he was “solely responsible” for Wednesday’s attack, but later ruled out three other potential suspects they were looking into. It is not known if he worked alone or not.
It is investigating the attacker to determine “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations”.
Police chief Ms Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, shot and wounded two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed.
The officers were in stable condition, she added.
Previous arrests
Jabbar was arrested in Texas in 2002 for theft, classed as a misdemeanour, and he was fined $100 by a court.
He was also arrested in the same state in 2005 for driving with an invalid licence, also classed as a misdemeanour, and was fined $100 by a court.
Twice married
Civil records show Jabbar was married twice, with his first marriage ending in 2012, NBC reported.
A petition for a second divorce was initiated in 2021.
Public records show that in 2020, Jabbar’s then wife filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against him.
The order stated that both parties should not engage in “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to the other party or to a child of either party” or “threatening the other party or a child of either party with imminent bodily injury”.
