New Orleans Attacker's Home Found Just Blocks Way from Mosque: Report
New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar reportedly lived just blocks from a mosque and viewed the world as a “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”
“Jabbar lived in a squalid trailer park on the outskirts of Houston that is home to mostly Muslim immigrants,” the New York Post reported. “[Jabbar] was living in a run-down trailer park where he kept sheep and goats in the yard — just blocks from the local mosque.”
Early Wednesday morning, the 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran drove a rented pickup truck bearing an ISIS flag into people celebrating the New Year in the French Quarter in New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring over 30 more.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia told reporters on Thursday that Jabbar posted five videos online before carrying out his attack in which he stated his support for ISIS.
“In the first video. Jabbar explains, he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers,’” Raia said.
The attacker also revealed that he had joined ISIS before this past summer.
JUST IN: New Orleans terror attack suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar intended to kill his family but was concerned media attention wouldn’t be focused on the “war between believers & disbelievers.”
The FBI says Jabbar posted multiple videos online.
Here are the new developments:
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 2, 2025
Jabbar’s brother — Abdur Jabbar, 24 — told The New York Times that they had been raised Christian in Beaumont, Texas, but Shamsud-Din Jabbar had converted to Islam long ago.
“As far as I know he was a Muslim for most of his life,” Abdur Jabbar said. “What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion.”
Shamsud-Din Jabbar joined the Army in 2007 and served until 2015, then he transitioned to being an Army reservist from 2015 to 2020, the Post reported.
He deployed to Afghanistan for a one-year tour in 2009, which ended in January 2010.
Jabbar had been married three times and had been separated from his third wife, according to the Times.
He had two daughters with his first wife, Nakedra Charrlle Marsh, whom he divorced in 2012.
Dwayne Marsh, who is married to Nakedra Marsh, said, Jabbar “had been acting erratically in recent months, ‘being all crazy, cutting his hair’ after converting to Islam,” according to the Times.
“Mr. Marsh said he and his wife stopped allowing the two daughters she shared with Mr. Jabbar, ages 15 and 20, to spend time with him.”
Chris Pousson, 42, a retired Air Force veteran who also lives in Beaumont, told the Times that he had gone to middle and high school with Jabbar. The two reconnected on Facebook in 2015 after the latter left active duty.
Pousson noticed that his old friend had become deeply involved with the Muslim faith.
“Before, if he was into it, he wasn’t open or verbal about it,” Pousson said. But by 2015 he was making lots of posts about religion on Facebook. “It was never Muslim extremist stuff, and he was never threatening any violence, but you could see that he had gotten really passionate.”
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