President Biden said Wednesday evening that the FBI found videos that the driver had posted to social media hours before the attack in which he said he was inspired by the Islamic State group and expressed a desire to kill. In addition to those killed, the rampage on Bourbon Street injured more than 35 people, many critically.
Pedestrians fled to safety inside nightclubs and restaurants. Investigators found multiple improvised explosive devices, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times. Two homemade bombs packed with nails were concealed in blue coolers, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck onto a sidewalk, going around a police car that was positioned to block vehicular traffic, authorities said. A barrier system meant to prevent vehicle attacks was undergoing repairs in preparation for the Super Bowl, which is scheduled to take place in the city in February. Police killed Jabbar after he got out of the truck and opened fire on officers, police said.
Three officers returned fire. Two officers were shot and were in stable condition, police said. They were in addition to 33 people injured in the vehicle attack. Law enforcement officials told The Times that Jabbar was wearing body armor.
Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. John Kennedy R-La. Jabbar joined the Army in , serving on active duty in human resources and information technology and deploying to Afghanistan from to , the service said.
