A US Army vet flying an ISIS flag plowed a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens more in one of the deadliest terror attack on US soil since 9/11.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, maneuvered a rented Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup around a police blockade at Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, then sped into crowds of partiers along the iconic stretch — leaving a trail of blood and bodies in his wake.
Jabbar’s rampage was only stopped when he slammed into a crane blocking the pedestrian street. He leaped from the car and started shooting at police, who returned fire and killed him.
The suspect has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar. Obtained by the NY Post
The suspect was killed at the scene of the attack on Bourbon Street. Obtained by the NY PostPresident Biden said investigators are probing whether the attack was in any way connected to a Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel Wednesday morning. The blast, which killed the driver and injured seven others, is being investigated as a possible terror attack, as well.
Biden said the FBI is also investigating whether there were any co-conspirators working with Jabbar.
The New Orleans rampage took place hours before the Sugar Bowl was set to kick off, featuring a College Football Playoff game between Georgia and Notre Dame. Officials postponed the game until Thursday.
The matchup brought tens of thousands of football fans to the Big Easy in addition to the New Year’s revelers, and at least one University of Georgia student was among the 35 injured in the attack.
“This is not just an act of terrorism — this is evil,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said during a news conference.
Fifteen people were killed and 35 injured when a driver in a pickup truck ran over revelers around 3:15 a.m. New Year’s Day.
A person dead in the street after the attack on Bourbon Street. ReutersThe police chief previously said Jabbar “was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did.”
“This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”
Video from the scene showed twisted and horribly disfigured bodies strewn on the street, and witnesses described absolute carnage.
“One man, deceased, had tire tracks across his back and when someone turned him over he had tire tracks across his stomach and was clearly crushed,” Jimmy Cothran, who sought cover in a nightclub as the carnage unfolded, told NBC News.
“A little girl that we had seen dancing as we were walking up the street was as flat as a pillow,” he continued.
“It just kept going — body, body, body, body. It was unbelievable.”
Several improvised explosive devices — consisting of nail-packed pipe bombs concealed in coolers, each rigged to a remote detonator — were also found in the truck and stashed throughout the French Quarter nearby.
Investigators said they are investigating whether the suspect acted alone — after surveillance video appeared to show other people with Jabbar as he planted the bombs.
Investigators believe Jabbar didn’t act alone.
Emergency services attend the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on Jan. 1, 2025. AP“We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible,” FBI Special Agent Alethea Duncan told reporters Wednesday afternoon.
However, law enforcement sources later said the people in the video had been cleared of wrongdoing.
The suspect traveled to Egypt for 10 days in the summer of 2023, and was living in a Houston trailer park filled largely with Muslim immigrants
An ISIS flag was found in the truck. APA mosque within walking distance of his home and attended by most of his neighbors was cordoned off by police Wednesday.
Questions are already being asked about how security could possibly have allowed Jabbar to access Bourbon Street at the height of holiday festivities.
A system of protective barriers intended to stop people from driving down the stretch had been removed in November as part of an overhaul of the system ahead of New Orleans hosting the 2025 Super Bowl, police confirmed.
Follow the latest on the terror attack on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street:
- New Orleans terror attack live updates: Suspect pictured, ISIS flag found in vehicle
- Neighbor saw pickup truck used by New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar leaving Airbnb hours before rampage
- NY Times reporter who interviewed New Orleans terrorist 10 years ago describes ‘calm, collected’ demeanor
- Killer driver Shamsud-Din Jabbar seen in first photo after he mowed down dozens of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans
A map of the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans.
Squad cars and officers were instead put in place to block the street during the New Year’s celebrations, but police said Jabbar drove around them onto the sidewalk — and footage showed his truck easily slipping past them and driving straight into a crowd of people.
“We did indeed have a plan, but the terrorist defeated it,” Kirkpatrick told reporters. Officials moved on to other questions when pressed on why the sidewalks weren’t also secured.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaking at a press conference on the terror attack on Bourbon Street on Jan. 1, 2025. SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images“Whatever the problem was, it’s going to be solved,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry vowed.
The two cops hurt in the shootout are expected to recover.
“Considering their injuries, they’re doing well,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
A photo obtained by The Post showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage lying next to the truck after he was shot dead by cops.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies work the scene on Bourbon Street. Photo by Michael DeMocker/Getty ImagesUp to 100 military police officers are also being deployed to assist local police.
Jabbar served 10 years in the US Army until 2020 — including a deployment to Aghantistan. However, when he carried out the attack, he was living a squalid trailer park with sheep and goats in his yard.
He also went through two messy and costly divorces — the second of which, in 2022, left him broke, he said in court filings.
US Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) declined to provide any details about the attack that might compromise the FBI’s investigation — but vowed that the public would know the full truth when it was safe to reveal it.
“There are things I’ve been told that I’m not going to say today because I think it could interfere with the investigation,” the Republican said.
“For those who don’t believe in objective evil, all you’ve got to do is look at what happened in our city this morning.”






