Follow the Houston Landing for updates on the truck attack in New Orleans and the possible Houston ties of the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar. Authorities report a total of 14 people have been killed and more than 30 have been injured.
12:00 p.m.: The Center for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced the the New Orleans and offered condolences to the families of the victims. They also urged anyone with information on the suspect or the attack to come forward.
11:00 a.m.: During a morning press conference, the FBI in New Orleans said that they believe Jabbar acted alone, clarifying previous statements that indicated the possibility of multiple accomplices to the attack. The authorities also said that 14 people were killed in the attack in addition to the suspect.
8:00 a.m.: FBI issues statement on search of Jabbar’s Houston area home.
6:45 p.m.: President Joe Biden confirmed Wednesday evening that Jabbar uploaded social media videos hours before the attack where he allegedly said he was inspired by ISIS. The FBI is still working to confirm what his relation to terrorist organizations could be.
6:20 p.m.: A U.S. Army spokesperson released the following statement about Jabbar’s enlistment:
Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar was in the regular Army as a Human Resource Specialist (42A) and Information Technology (IT) Specialist (25B) from March 2007 until January 2015 and then in the Army Reserve as an IT Specialist (25B) from January 2015 until July 2020. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He held the rank of Staff Sergeant at the end of service.
5:10 p.m.: Houston Landing reporters near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive, where a recent address for Jabbar is listed, witnessed authorities bring out an armored vehicle dubbed the “Rook.” The large piece of construction equipment modified for law enforcement purposes has been used in Houston to tear into homes during police standoffs.
4:40 p.m.: In 2005, Jabbar was arrested by Beaumont police for driving with a suspended license. He pleaded no contest, meaning that while he did not admit guilt, he accepted a punishment of six months probation.
4:00 p.m.: The Sugar Bowl matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame has been postponed. The quarterfinal matchup was to be played at the Superdome Wednesday evening.
Suspect had minor criminal history in Houston
3:45 p.m.: Public records illustrate that Jabbar had a minor criminal history several decades ago. In 2002, he was arrested in Katy, a Houston suburb, for misdemeanor theft. In 2005, he was arrested in Beaumont for driving with a suspended driver’s license.
In exchange for pleading guilty, Jabbar was granted nine months of deferred adjudication and fined $100. Deferred adjudication, a type of probation, is typically granted to first-time offenders. In 2005, Jabbar was arrested by Beaumont police for driving with a suspended license.
FBI makes statement on terror attack
3:30 p.m.: Public records list several addresses for Jabbar in north Harris County. The FBI said they are currently “conducting law enforcement activity” near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive, where a recent address for Jabbar is listed.
“We have secured a perimeter in that area and are asking people to avoid the area. FBI Houston personnel and specialized teams will be on-site for several hours. This activity is related to this morning’s New Orleans attack, but due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, no further information can be provided,” The FBI said in a statement.
3:00 p.m.: The man who committed what the FBI has deemed a terrorist attack in New Orleans early Wednesday morning was a Beaumont native who lived in the Houston area in recent years.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, killed 10 people and injured dozens more when he plowed a rented pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’s French Quarter and shot two first responders.
Jabbar, who was killed by police on scene, worked for a Houston real estate company in recent years, according to the Houston Chronicle.
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