In a shocking turn of events, senior law enforcement officials revealed to NBC News that the New Orleans terrorist who killed 14 people and injured 35 others on New Year’s Day had prepositioned bombs containing an extremely rare explosive compound. The two devices did not explode, but authorities are now urgently working to understand how Shamsud-Din Jabbar managed to use an explosive compound that had never been seen before in a terror attack in America or Europe.
On the early hours of Wednesday, Texas-born Houston resident Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck through a crowd of New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street, resulting in chaos and tragedy before he was killed in a shootout with police. It was later discovered that the 42-year-old US Army veteran had also constructed two bombs that were designed to be detonated using a transmitter found in his rented Ford F-150 truck.
The improvised explosive devices were concealed in recreational coolers placed by Jabbar on Bourbon Street, as captured by security cameras. Fortunately, neither bomb detonated, and investigators are now trying to determine the reason behind this failure – whether it was a flaw in the design, a malfunction, or if Jabbar simply did not attempt to trigger the devices.
While the officials did not disclose the specific name of the rare explosive compound, they highlighted that it was the first time it had been used in the US and had never been employed by terrorists in Europe. Investigators are now focused on unraveling how Jabbar acquired knowledge of this unique compound and how he was able to produce it.
Given his military background, it seems unlikely that Jabbar obtained his bomb-making expertise during his time in the army. According to a Pentagon official, “Jabbar served as a Human Resource Specialist (42A) and Information Technology Specialist (25B) in the regular Army from March 2007 to January 2015, followed by service as an IT Specialist (25B) in the Army Reserve from January 2015 to July 2020. He also deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010, reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant.”
The truck used by Jabbar in his deadly attack was found to have an ISIS flag, and he had posted videos on Facebook prior to the incident pledging allegiance to the terror group. In these videos, he also mentioned contemplating attacking his own family and friends but decided against it to ensure the focus remained on the conflict between believers and non-believers. Upon his death, police discovered that Jabbar was armed with an AR-15 and a handgun.
Before carrying out his attack, Jabbar set fire to his short-term rental property, but the blaze extinguished itself before spreading further, despite accelerants being present throughout the house. Federal investigators also found bomb-making materials and a homemade rifle silencer in the house. Similar bomb components were discovered at Jabbar’s residence in Houston.
The FBI has deployed additional personnel to New Orleans to aid in the investigation, which has garnered nearly 1,000 tips and involves analyzing vast amounts of video and other data from street cameras. Despite initial suspicions of accomplices, the FBI now believes that Shamsud-Din Jabbar acted alone in the attack.
Jabbar’s younger brother Abdur Jabbar emphasized to the New York Times that his brother’s actions do not reflect Islam. He stated, “What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion.“
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