Jan 6, 2025 - News

Timeline: New Orleans terror attack was months in the making

Chelsea Brasted

An FBI agent stands with his arms crossed behind a barricade. A bouquet of flowers is tied to the barricade. — An FBI agent blocks off a French Quarter street during early investigations into the New Year's Day terror attack. Photo: Andrew Caballero/Reynolds/AFP via Getty

Since the New Orleans terror attack on New Year's Day, the FBI has sketched in detail about the suspect and his actions that led to the deaths of 14 Bourbon Street bystanders.

Why it matters: The suspect, who died in a shootout with New Orleans police, acted alone, investigators say, underscoring how difficult it can be to identify threatening behavior before it turns into tragedy.

The big picture: The FBI has held multiple public briefings and shared online photos and video about what it has learned about the suspect and his movements in the months and hours leading up to the attack in the early morning hours of New Year's Day.

Here's everything we know about that timeline.

Worth noting: Because this investigation continues to evolve, we will update this story as we learn more.

Summer 2023: Suspect made trips to Egypt, Canada

Police identified the suspect in the attack as 42-year-old Texas man Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

Jabbar spent his younger years in Beaumont, Texas before moving with family to Houston, where he attended college.
His father grew up Christian but later converted to Islam. So, too, did Jabbar, the New York Times reported.
Jabbar spent eight years in the U.S. Army, and during that time made a tour to Afghanistan, per the New York Times.
Go deeper for more about his background.

International travel: Jabbar went to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, and to Ontario, Canada, from July 10 to July 13 that year, FBI New Orleans special agent in charge Lyonel Myrthil said.

It's not yet clear if or how those trips may tie to the New Orleans attack, Myrthil said.

Between the lines: The FBI contends that the suspect acted alone, noting that often with lone actors, "their radicalization and communication with other like-minded individuals happens online as is believed to be the case with the New Orleans attacker."

Jabbar pledged allegiance to ISIS, and FBI Deputy assistant director Christopher Raia confirmed the attack "was 100% inspired by" the group.
Investigators said Sunday they are continuing to search for signs of possible accomplices "in the U.S. and outside our border."

Spring 2024: Suspect's views turn extreme

"Jabbar became a more devout Muslim in 2022," the FBI said. "During this time, Jabbar began isolating himself from society."

By the spring of 2024, the FBI said, "Jabbar began following extremist views."

Fall 2024: Suspect made at least two trips to New Orleans

A man is seen riding a bicycle down a French Quarter street. — Security camera footage captured Shamsud-Din Jabbar riding a bike through the French Quarter on Dec. 31. Photo: Courtesy of FBI

Jabbar also visited New Orleans at least twice before the attack, the FBI said.

Those trips include one visit during Halloween in 2024.
In town for at least two days including Oct. 30 and 31, Jabbar used Meta glasses to record a bike ride down Bourbon Street. He also wore the glasses during the attack but officials say they weren't recording. See the video Jabbar captured.

He made another trip Nov. 10, investigators said. On that trip, the FBI says, Jabbar took a train from Houston to New Orleans, returning that night on a bus.

But while Jabbar was in the city, he looked at an Orleans Street apartment that was for rent. Some days later, he applied for the apartment, but later told the landlord he'd changed his mind, the FBI says.
About two weeks later, Jabbar bought a rifle in a private transaction in Texas, an ATF investigator said. It was one of two firearms he had at the time of his death.

Zoom in: The FBI is investigating another recent trip to Tampa Bay, Florida, as well.

Jabbar's online search history, the FBI said, also revealed more of the planning involved in the attack. Go deeper.

The web history revealed that he had researched Mardi Gras, how to get onto a Bourbon Street balcony and reviewed details about recent New Orleans shootings.

Attack timeline

Dec. 30: Jabbar rented a white Ford F150 pickup truck in Houston, Texas, investigators have said.

He used an app, Turo, for the rental, Raia said. Go deeper: What to know about Turo.

Dec. 31: The suspect entered Louisiana around 2:30pm, the FBI says, and his truck was seen around Gonzales at about 9pm.

A tent covers a truck, parked in the middle of New Orleans neighborhood street. — Police, ATF and FBI agents Investigate the Mandeveille Street airbnb on Jan. 2. Photo: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

10pm: Jabbar was spotted unloading his truck outside of a Mandeville Street Airbnb.

Before leaving that night, ATF agents say Jabbar set a small fire in a hallway. He also "strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime," the FBI said.

The fire had burned out before spreading to other rooms, the FBI said, and agents found pre-cursors for bomb-making material and a privately-made device suspected of being a silencer for a rifle.
Smelling smoke, a neighbor called in a possible fire at 5:18am, investigators said.

At left, a surveillance image still of a man wearing a tan jacket over a grey shirt and jeans as he walks across pedestrian street markings. At right, a surveillance image still of a cooler with a luggage-type handle extended as the cooler sits unattended on a sidewalk. — At left, surveillance footage from 2:03 am CT showing Shamsud-Din Jabbar as he walked along Dauphine Street near Governor Nicholls Street. At right, a photo of one of the coolers containing an improvised explosive device, which was placed by Jabbar near the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans streets. Photos: Courtesy of FBI

Jan. 1 at 12:41am: In the early morning hours of the new year, Jabbar parked his truck near the corner of Gov. Nicholls and Royal streets, the FBI said.

1:29am: The suspect posted five videos on his Facebook account, with the first timestamped at 1:29am.

In that 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. Go deeper: FBI remarks from Jan. 2.
In other videos, Jabbar claimed he'd joined ISIS "before this summer," per the FBI. He also provided his will and testament.

1:53am: Jabbar placed an IED disguised in a cooler at Bourbon and St. Peter Street. A group of people who investigators don't believe were involved dragged it to Bourbon and Orleans streets.

2:20am: A second IED was placed at Bourbon and Toulouse. See photos of Jabbar placing the bombs.

The bombs were rendered safe at the scene, Raia said.
The FBI said Jabbar had a transmitter in his truck, which they believe he intended to use to activate the IEDs. More on the IEDs.

3:02am: The last video posted to Jabbar's Facebook account was timestamped 3:02am.

Investigators did not say whether those videos were live-streamed or had been previously recorded.

Locator map showing the path of the truck on the Jan. 1 terror attack in New Orleans. The truck by passed a police SUV and four inactive traffic barriers. Two IEDs were found further down Bourbon street near Toulouse and Saint Peter streets. — Data: City of New Orleans, FBI, ATF; Map: Axios Visuals

3:15am: Jabbar was driving down Canal Street away from the Mississippi River when he suddenly turned right, hopping his truck onto the sidewalk and past an NOPD SUV that had barricaded part of Bourbon Street.

Then, Jabbar continued down Bourbon Street as he plowed through people before crashing into construction equipment.
Then, he exited the car and exchanged gunfire with the NOPD. He was pronounced dead at the scene. NOPD released body camera footage of the interaction. Go deeper.

Carlie Kollath Wells contributed to this report.

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