On January 1, 2025, an Islamist domestic terrorist attack occurred when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old African-American Muslim man, rammed a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, then exited the truck and engaged in a shootout with police before being fatally shot. Fourteen victims were killed, plus the perpetrator, and at least fifty-seven others were injured, including two police officers who were shot. The attack occurred during New Year celebrations in the city, which was scheduled to host the 2025 Sugar Bowl later that day. The malfunctioning anti-ramming bollards had been removed for upgrades in preparation for Super Bowl LIX.
The assailant was a resident of Houston, Texas, and drove from there to New Orleans. An Islamic State (ISIS) flag was found in the truck used in the killings, and Jabbar had posted videos declaring allegiance to ISIS in the preceding hours. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) determined that Jabbar had been inspired by ISIS, but investigated the matter as domestic terrorism, since there was no evidence of foreign involvement in the attack. It was the worst vehicle ramming attack in United States history, surpassing the 2017 New York City truck attack.
Background
Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies had warned local police agencies about potential vehicle-ramming attacks before the holidays. In a 2017 memo, the city government also noted the risks of a mass casualty incident, including from a vehicle attack in the French Quarter, and it had plans to increase security in the area. In that same year, the city government acquired a set of L-shaped temporary Archer vehicle barriers from Meridian Rapid Defense Group and used them to help secure the city's Mardi Gras parade against vehicle attacks. The city spent $250,000 to purchase a set of 45 Archer barriers. A subsequent security assessment by Interfor International for the French Quarter Management District in 2019 stated concerns that the bollards did "not appear to work", and when assessing security vulnerabilities on Bourbon Street, stated that "the two modes of terror attack likely to be used are vehicular ramming and active shooting".
American officials were concerned about the potential for lone wolf attacks and efforts by the Islamic State's Khorasan branch to recruit new members by spreading propaganda online and radicalizing vulnerable populations.
The New Year celebrations in the city included parties on Bourbon Street and a parade for the 2025 Sugar Bowl, one of New Orleans's major sporting events, which was scheduled to take place on the night of January 1 at Caesars Superdome between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Law enforcement had increased security in preparation for these events, including the use of drones in the French Quarter. The bollards in New Orleans, that were often malfunctioning, were removed to be replaced in preparation for the Super Bowl LIX on February 9.
Attack
After exiting traffic, the perpetrator, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, drove the truck onto the sidewalk to bypass a police SUV and other barricades that had been placed to protect Bourbon Street. Eyewitnesses reported that steel barricades installed to prevent vehicular access were not raised before the attack, though New Orleans Police Department superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said that police were aware they malfunctioned sometimes and instead used other barricades. Jabbar drove into people along a three-block stretch between Canal and Conti streets. Kirkpatrick stated the suspect was "trying to run over as many people as he possibly could".
After crashing into an aerial work platform, Jabbar exited the truck and began shooting a gun. New Orleans police officers returned fire and killed Jabbar by four shots to the torso. Jabbar wounded two police officers in the gunfight.
Jabbar wore body armor during the attack. Police officers recovered a .308 AR-10 rifle and Glock handgun. The white Ford F-150 Lightning light-duty truck used in the attack had been rented using Turo, and had been observed in Humble, Texas, on the morning before the attack. Later that day, the truck was observed in Baytown, Texas, heading east on Interstate 10 toward New Orleans. The truck was registered to a Houston man. There was an Islamic State (ISIS) flag in the vehicle, and on January 9, 2025, newspaper Al-Naba claimed responsibility for the attack.
The New Orleans PD, along with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, described the incident as a terrorist attack. Jason Williams, the district attorney for Orleans Parish, said that "driving a vehicle into a crowd is not particularly a thing that any law enforcement agency can be prepared for".
The city had previously deployed permanent bollards to stop cars from entering the French Quarter, but they had frequently malfunctioned. The bollards were removed and were being replaced in advance of the upcoming Sugar Bowl when the attack occurred. The city still had temporary Archer vehicle barriers acquired back in 2017 but did not deploy them until after the attack had already occurred. Kirkpatrick was unaware that the city had them until after the attack.
Timeline
- December 30, 2024
- Jabbar rented a Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck in Houston.
- December 31, 2024
- Jabbar purchased one of the coolers that would be used to store one of his IEDs at a store in Texas
- Morning: Jabbar began driving east from Houston to Louisiana
- 2:30 p.m.: Jabbar arrived in Louisiana
- 9:00 p.m.: Jabbar's vehicle was spotted in Gonzales, Louisiana
- 10:00 p.m.: Jabbar unloaded his truck in front of his rental house
- January 1, 2025
- 12:41 a.m.: Jabbar walked to Royal and Governor Nichols Street after parking his truck
- 1:29–3:02 a.m.: Jabbar posted five videos on Facebook, and gave a final will and testament.
- 1:53 a.m.: Jabbar planted the first IED inside of a cooler at Bourbon Street near St. Peter Street
- Jabbar returned to his truck to retrieve the second IED which was in a different type of cooler
- 2:20 a.m.: Jabbar planted the second IED at Bourbon and Toulouse Streets. Both areas where the IEDs were placed were located in the French Quarter.
- 3:15 a.m.: Jabbar drove down Canal Street before evading a traffic barricade and turning onto Bourbon Street, where he ran over dozens of pedestrians.
- 3:17 a.m.: Jabbar exited the truck and shot at responding police officers before being killed by police returning gunfire in a shootout.
- Shortly after 5 a.m.: A fire was reported in Jabbar's rental home
- 4:03 p.m.: The Sugar Bowl announced the game would be rescheduled to January 2.
- January 2, 2025
- 2–8 a.m.: Officials begin cleaning Bourbon Street at 2:00 a.m. and finish at 8:00 a.m.
- Around 1:00 p.m.: Bourbon Street reopens to pedestrians.
Aftermath
A reunification center was established at University Medical Center New Orleans. Many hotels in the area were evacuated, and hospitality and service workers reporting for work later that morning were turned away from the area. The 2025 Sugar Bowl, which is part of the 2024–25 College Football Playoff, was to be played at Caesars Superdome between Notre Dame and Georgia at 7:45 p.m. CST on January 1; after the attack, it was postponed to 3 p.m. CST the following day due to ongoing security sweeps. Security for the game was tightened, and the game went on without any incident. Local organizers said they would review security procedures for Super Bowl LIX to be held in New Orleans in February 2025.
The New Orleans City Hall building was closed to the public on January 2 to reduce traffic. A moment of silence honoring the victims of the attack was held before the start of the Sugar Bowl. The victims, as well as first responders, were also honored before the kickoff of Super Bowl LIX. Members of the Bech and Tenedorio families flipped the ceremonial coin to end the ceremonies.
Victims
Fourteen people, excluding the suspect, were killed. All of the deceased victims died of blunt force injuries. At least fifty-seven others were injured, including three people and two New Orleans police officers who were shot in a shootout. Immediately after the attack, emergency personnel took thirty of the wounded to five area hospitals, while other injured sought hospital care on their own. Mexico's foreign ministry reported that two Mexican nationals were injured in the attack. Israel's foreign ministry said two Israeli citizens were wounded in the attack.
Victims Killed
- Kareem Badawi, 18
- Martin “Tiger” Bech, 27
- Andrew Dauphin, 26
- Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18
- Billy DiMaio, 25
- Hubert Gauthreaux, 21
- Reggie Hunter, 37
- Terrence Kennedy, 63
- Nicole Perez, 27
- Edward Pettifer, 31
- LaTasha Polk, 47
- Brandon Taylor, 43
- Matthew Tenedorio, 25
- Elliot Wilkinson, 40
— Sources:
By January 5, the names of all fourteen deceased victims were released. There were eleven men and three women, ranging in age from 18 to 63. All were killed by blunt force injuries. Two were local to New Orleans: LaTasha Polk, 47, and 63-year-old Terrence Kennedy. Six further fatalities resided in Louisiana: Kareem Badawi, 18; Hubert Gauthreaux, 21; Reggie Hunter, 37; Nicole Perez, 27; Brandon Taylor, 43; and Elliot Wilkinson, 40. Martin "Tiger" Bech, 27, was a native of Louisiana but resided in New York City, and was the brother of NFL player Jack Bech. All but one of the remaining victims were from elsewhere in the United States: Andrew Dauphin, 26; Nikyra Dedeaux, 18; William DiMaio, 25; and Matthew Tenedorio, 25. The final victim was British national Edward Pettifer, 31, from Chelsea, London, the stepson of Alexandra "Tiggy" Pettifer, a former nanny of the princes William and Harry.
Perpetrator
The assailant, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar (October 26, 1982 – January 1, 2025), was 42 years old and absent from all federal watchlists. He was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, a city located 85 miles (137 km) east of Houston. At the time of the attack, he lived in a Houston neighborhood in northern Harris County. Although raised as a Christian, he converted to Islam, and his brother, Abdur Jabbar, said he was a "Muslim for most of his life."
Jabbar came from an African American family that predominantly attended the local Baptist church. His father, a convert to Islam born in Houston, changed his surname from Young to Jabbar; his mother remained a Christian. His grandfather moved from Louisiana to Texas as part of a migration of Creoles of color to the Beaumont area for work. Jabbar was arrested in 2002 in Katy for misdemeanor theft and was arrested in 2005 for driving with an invalid license. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence while serving at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Jabbar served in the United States Army for ten years as a human resources specialist and an information technology specialist. He was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He was honorably discharged at the rank of staff sergeant. He left active duty in 2015, and was in the United States Army Reserve until 2020. He enrolled at Georgia State University in 2015 and graduated in 2017, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in computer information systems. Jabbar partied and used alcohol in college, causing his grades to slip and losing a scholarship. Despite Jabbar's growing interest in Islam, his acquaintances saw no signs of extremism.
Jabbar was divorced three times and had financial problems. His first marriage ended in divorce in 2012, he married again (2013 to 2016), and finally a third time (2017 to 2022). He secured a job at Deloitte in 2021 as a "senior solutions specialist" in government and public services with a yearly salary of $120,000, a quarter of which was spent in alimony and child support. The husband of one of his ex-wives said that Jabbar had been behaving unpredictably in the months before the attack, seemingly motivated by his religious views, and the couple decided to limit Jabbar's contact with their children.
In 2024, Jabbar moved to a Muslim community north of Houston, where he isolated himself, and started publishing recordings to SoundCloud, in which he espoused conservative religious views. In the recordings, Jabbar condemned music as a gateway "into the things that God had made forbidden to us" such as alcohol and marijuana. In an early 2024 recording, he said that "the voice of Satan spreading among Prophet Muhammad's followers [...] is a sign of the end times." He was not seen attending either of the two nearby mosques and was not a formal member of any of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston's 21 congregations. It is unclear exactly what factors influenced Jabbar's radicalization, although investigators said that his views became significantly more extreme after the beginning of the Gaza war in 2023. Jabbar traveled alone to Cairo, Egypt in late-June 2023, spending eleven days in the country, followed by a three-day stay in Ontario in mid-July; U.S. investigators are probing what Jabbar did while abroad.