The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released more information about the fatal New Year’s Day hit-and-run in New Orleans, providing a brief timeline of how the suspect carried out his attack.

In a press conference On Thursday, Christopher Raya, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, clarified that only one suspect is currently involved in the attack: a 42-year-old Texas resident. Shamsud Dem Jabbar.

“We do not assess at this stage that anyone else was involved in this attack except Shamsud Dem Jabbar,” Raya said.

Although he stressed that the investigation was still in its early stages, he added: “We are confident at this stage that there are no accomplices.”

The press conference was held just over a day after Jabbar drove a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck through holiday crowds celebrating on Bourbon Street, a center of tourism and nightlife in New Orleans.

14 people were killed when the truck circumvented a traffic barricade on Canal Street and traveled approximately two and a half blocks on the busy pedestrian thoroughfare.

The truck crashed near the intersection with Conti Street, and Jabbar allegedly exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officers as he attempted to flee.

He was eventually killed in the exchange. At least 35 people were injured, including two police officers.

Media reports indicated that among the dead were a father of two children from the city of Baton Rouge, a single mother from the town of Metairie in Louisiana, and a football player who attended Princeton University.

Revised timetable

Raya said authorities now have a better idea of ​​how Jabbar appeared on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day, when the attack occurred.

“Investigators believe Jabbar picked up the chartered F-150 in Houston, Texas, on December 30,” Raya said. “He then drove from Houston to New Orleans on the evening of the 31st.”

In the final hours before the attack, Jabbar posted a series of five video clips on his Facebook account, “declaring his support” for the armed group ISIS, according to Raya.

The first video was posted at 1:29 AM local time (07:29 GMT). The last one came at 3:02 am (09:02 GMT). By 3:15 (09:15 GMT), the deadly attack had begun.

That footage showed Raya and his colleagues that Jabbar “was 100% inspired by ISIS.”

“In the first video, Jabbar explains that he originally planned to harm his family and friends, but was concerned that the headlines would not focus on the war between believers and infidels,” Raya said.

In addition, he stated that he joined ISIS before this summer. He also submitted a will and testimony.

The investigation is ongoing

But the authorities confirmed that their investigations into the attack are continuing.

Evidence technicians continue to comb the rental pickup truck for evidence. Three phones linked to Jabbar are also being searched, as well as two laptops.

Raya added that FBI agents have received more than 400 tips from the public since the time of the attack. He demanded more information, especially about the suspect.

“Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you,” Raya said.

Authorities revealed that Jabbar is an American-born citizen and military veteran who served in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010.

After leaving the army in 2020, he worked at consulting firm Deloitte and appears to have had a stint in real estate.

An ISIS flag was eventually recovered from the back of Jabbar’s rented pickup truck on Wednesday.

Bomb technicians also found two explosive devices, or IEDs, placed in ice coolers near the site of the car collision: one at the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans streets, the other two blocks away.

From the White House, President Joe Biden certain That investigators determined that Jabbar was responsible for the coolers as well.

“They have proven that the attacker is the same person who planted explosives in ice coolers at two nearby locations,” Biden said. “They said he had a remote detonator in his car to blow up those two ice chests.”

Both Biden and FBI officials confirmed that they continue to treat the incident as a suspected act of terrorism.

“Let me be very clear on this point: this was an act of terrorism. “It was a deliberate and evil act,” Raya said.

Raya added that reports of other explosives being found at the scene either turned out to be misleading information or “not effective devices.”

No partners

In a press conference on Thursday, Raya also retracted an earlier FBI statement that suggested Jabbar did not act alone.

A day earlier, Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI in New Orleans, told reporters: “We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible.”

But Raya sought to allay fears that Jabbar may have accomplices who have not yet been arrested.

“We have 24 hours now to go through the media, go through the phones, interview people, analyze these videos, analyze these other databases,” Raya said.

“Hundreds and hundreds of leads have been generated in just 24 hours. We are confident at this point that there are no partners.”

He explained that much of the concern stems from witnesses who saw bystanders approaching the coolers where the explosive devices were later discovered.

“There were a lot of early reports of an additional number of people turning off coolers,” he said.

“It turned out that these were just shepherds on the street who were looking inside the coolers. We didn’t know that at first.”

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry intervened to urge the public’s patience in the investigation process.

“No one solves a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle and puts it together in five seconds,” he told reporters.

Bourbon Street “Restoration”

State and local officials at Thursday’s news conference also sought to restore public trust after the deadly attack raised questions about safety precautions in New Orleans, a popular tourist destination.

New Orleans was in the process of replacing its barriers — bollards used to impede traffic in pedestrian hotspots — but city authorities confirmed there were others as the barricades were removed.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell also revealed that law enforcement officers cleared the crime scene on Bourbon Street and returned the area to city authority.

That allowed street sweepers to work about six hours through the night to prepare the pedestrian route for visitors, including those attending Thursday’s Sugar Bowl, a college football championship game.

The match was postponed for a day after the car-ramming attack, while its stadium, the Caesars Superdome, underwent an extensive security operation.

“Safety continues to be our top priority,” Cantrell said, noting the presence of law enforcement throughout the city.

“For this reason, there is confidence in reopening Bourbon Street to the public before game time today.”

Governor Landry added that there is an “unprecedented amount of law enforcement resources” in the city. He has previously stated that he plans to attend the Sugar Bowl.

Tourism is one of the pillars of New Orleans’ economy, and is valued 43 million visitors It passes through Louisiana every year.

In 2023 alone, tourists spent a total of $18.1 billion and generated $1.9 billion in state and local taxes.

This year, the city is set to host not only the traditional Mardi Gras parades — a high point on the tourist calendar — but also the Super Bowl, the country’s most-watched sporting event.

Cantrell gave a hint of those upcoming events in her remarks Thursday.

“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not just ready for game day today,” she said. “We are ready to continue hosting large-scale events in our city because we are determined to host.”